This past Wednesday was a beautiful day. Warm, sunny and beautiful. We spent the better part of the day outside just enjoying the weather. But as the afternoon turned into evening it suddenly started to get darker. The clouds closed in over us so thick that we just knew there was a storm brewing to the west. The darkness hovered for quite sometime before the winds came. By this point, me and my family were all safely tucked into our home to ride it out.

First it began to rain, then the winds came. And not just wind, but straight-line winds. Have you ever experienced this kind of wind? Where gusts hit up to about 65 MPH? It’s pretty awesome to see that kind of power blow through your neighborhood!

As I stood and watched out my front door, I saw the huge, almost 100 year old tree bowing in the strong wind.

Right before my eyes, I saw the air take that 65 foot tree and pull it out of the ground by the roots! The sound it made as it cracked into the ground made my house shake. It was completely powerful, and made me feel helpless in that second when I wondered which way it was going to fall.

Once it crashed to the ground, I was relieved to see it layed itself nicely across both driveways and yard of our house and our next door neighbors. No cars crushed, no houses broken. It could have been much worse, as it was in other places all over our city.

Sometimes the mighty will fall

So often we see the idols in our lives as I saw that big tree. Maybe it’s the government that you count on to protect you. Maybe you feel safe when the politician of your choice is in the White House. Maybe you feel sheltered and secure when you have a job. I could go on and on, but my point is this:

When we put our faith in something other than God, no matter how big and strong it is, it can fail you.

 “Grass withers and flowers fade when the Lord sends the wind blowing over them. People are no more enduring than grass.

 Yes, grass withers and flowers fade, but the word of our God endures forever.” Isaiah 40:7-8

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” Psalm 188:9