I peered from my bedroom window into the ominous gloom of a storm that had blown into my hometown of Charlotte, NC.

The sky grumbled with thunder and the wind whistled through the trees in my backyard. Awed by the storm’s might, I watched as branches rose and fell sharply, the wind plucking leaves from tree limbs to send them dancing through the air. Dangerous flashes of lightning lit the sky.

So it is in my own life right now, I thought as a sharp burst of lightning cracked overhead causing the foundations of our home to tremble.

In these hard economic times, our future is as dark and ominous as this storm.

I winced at the memory of the uneasy expression my husband carried home each night for over two years now. Day after day, he chased new development projects–projects that had all but disappeared in the dwindling housing and development market–as a harsh economic storm rolled across America. Over the course of time we watched this financial tempest pluck away the simplest of comforts of life, comforts that we once took for granted.

The economic storm had taken away all but the necessities of life. Gone was our cable television subscription.  We no longer scheduled weekend trips or vacations, and money for new clothing was a struggle. Our children did not attend piano lessons or sports camps.  We struggled to find money for dental visits and medications for our autistic son, Alec. We paid off our car debt on our two old cars and watched as the mileage on our old van crept well above the 170,000 mile mark. We were one major car repair bill away from going under.

As our family teetered on the edge of financial ruin, we prayed, watched and waited to see if God’s promises were true. Could we really depend on Him to sustain us in the storm?

Peering out of my window, my eyes fell to an impossibly tiny shape perched solidly at the end of a branch: a hummingbird.  I watched as it swayed and pitched with the violent wind, but not once did it stagger or stumble.

Incredible! How does that miniature bird remain standing on that branch in these winds?  As I watched the bird, I heard His answer:

I AM the God Who even the winds obey! Just as I hold this hummingbird, I also hold fast to you! So do not fear the storm. Know that I AM with you, even in the midst of it!

Oh sweet Jesus, help us to remember how powerful You are! May we never forget that you are faithful to Your promise to care and sustain us through the biggest storms of life!

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Matthew 8:26-27 NIV