Two Mondays ago, we had quite a storm rip through our neighborhood. There was no warning of anything beyond a strong thunderstorm, so I was pretty shocked when daylight turned suddenly to night, and the trees began to sway almost sideways as limbs and leaves crashed to the ground. The kids and I ducked into the window-less laundry room at that point, listening to the storm thunder and howl, praying for safety. The power went out, and we were plunged into darkness…

And then it stopped. The storm passed through as quickly as it came. But when the sky lightened, we saw the devastation: trees down on neighbors houses and car ports, street signs laying in the street… There was a diagonal line of destruction where tree tops toppled, as if a small tornado ripped through the clouds. Of course I wrote a poem about it…

This is our neighbor’s house, 100 feet from our home.

Tornado
By Sara Marie Allen

Tornado
Coming up fast,
Without warning,
Tearing apart framework
In a split second.
See the signs in the sky;
Seek refuge and prayer.
Wait until the light returns,
And emerge to a new reality.

Regardless of whether my storm was an actual tornado or not, there are many “storms” that come into our lives. Most of them happen without warning. It’s how we deal with the “new reality” that counts the most. Our neighborhood banded together with chainsaws and helping hands. Maybe your tornado brought an illness or job loss…

The LORD is with us and saves us during our storms. One of my favorite verses that speaks to this is Zephaniah 3:17: “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

We were so blessed to have only a pile of leaves and a couple of small branches in the yard as a result of the storm. But whatever your reality is, after the tornado rips through your life, remember the Lord is with you, and he is mighty to save.