“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 NIV
Yesterday, a storm came rolling over the mountains.
Rain poured against the tin roof so loudly that it filled the whole house with its drumming. Thunder rumbled through the sky. Lightning struck around us, and the wind twisted through the trees, bending branches beneath a force no human hand could restrain.
Then a large tree in our backyard fell.
It could have landed on the house.
It could have crushed the car.
It could have destroyed the riding mower
or any number of things standing in its path.
But it didn’t.
When the storm passed and we stepped outside, there it lay—resting perfectly between everything in our yard. Like a puzzle piece carefully lowered into its appointed place, the broken tree had fallen into one narrow space where nothing precious was harmed.
Looking at it, I could not help but see the hand of God.
We spend so much of our lives trying to remain in control. We make plans, arrange our days, protect what we own, and prepare for what might happen. God has entrusted us with choices to make, responsibilities to carry, and lives to steward wisely.
But then the wind begins to blow.
A storm arrives that we did not invite and cannot command. The rain falls too hard, the thunder shakes the walls, and something larger than us begins to move. Suddenly, all the control we thought we possessed feels as fragile as a leaf caught in the wind.
Perhaps it is in those moments that we see God’s sovereignty most clearly.
We could not hold that tree upright.
We could not guide the direction of its fall.
We could not stand beneath it and push it away from everything we loved.
But God was there.
The same God who set boundaries for the seas knew every branch on that tree. He knew the weight of its trunk, the direction of the wind, and the exact space between our belongings. What was completely beyond our control was never beyond His.
Sometimes God reveals His protection not by keeping the tree from falling, but by showing us where it landed.
That does not mean every storm will pass without loss. Sometimes houses are damaged, cherished things are broken, and lives are changed. God’s faithfulness cannot be measured only by what remains standing when the storm is over. His promise is not that nothing difficult will ever touch us, but that nothing can remove us from His presence.
He is God before the storm.
He is God in the roaring wind.
He is God when the tree comes crashing down.
And He is still God in the quiet that follows.
Today, that fallen tree is more than something we must cut apart and carry away. It is a reminder lying across our backyard: when our strength ends, God’s does not. When our hands are powerless, His remain steady. When life feels scattered, He still sees how every piece fits together.
We may not always understand what He allows to fall or what He chooses to spare. But we can trust that no storm is stronger than His sovereignty, no wind can carry us beyond His reach, and no moment is ever outside His control.
Reflection Questions:
1. What situation are you trying to control that God may be asking you to place in His hands?
2. Can you remember a time when you recognized God’s protection or provision only after the storm had passed?
3. How can you trust God’s presence even when the outcome is not the one you hoped for?
Heavenly Father, thank You for being our refuge when the storms of life rise around us. Forgive us for the times we cling to control and forget that everything is already held in Your capable hands. Help us trust You when the wind is loud, when the path is uncertain, and when we cannot see where the pieces will fall. Thank You for the protection we recognize and for the countless ways You care for us that we never see. Whether You calm the storm, guide what falls, or carry us through the damage, remind us that You are still present, still faithful, and still in control. In Jesus’ name, amen.