I was just about asleep in a room on the 14^th floor of a large hotel near the airport in San Francisco. Suddenly it felt like someone had slammed a door really hard and then the room felt like it was moving, almost rolling. The thought occurred to me that in a hotel that size, no one could slam a door hard enough for me to feel it in that way. Oh. My. It’s an earthquake. It lasted less than a minute or two. I walked to the window to see the water in the pool sloshing from side to side and onto the walkway. As quickly as it began, it was over. It was only a 4.2 which, for an earthquake, is a minor one. (Unless you’re trying to fall back to sleep.)

Life can feel like that hotel room or the water in that pool. There may be days where we feel like we’re standing on top of a mountain with a spectacular view of God’s creation. There are also days that feel like that mountain may as well be made from sand. Our lives get upended so often. Many times the challenges of life spring on us like that earthquake. We didn’t see it coming. We can feel like everything around us is undependable, unreliable.

What might it be for you right now? Relationships that are struggling or broken? A serious illness that has frightening possibilities for you or for someone you care about? Financial instability and concerns? The news in your city, state, our country, or the world? Something else?

The purpose of making that list is not to focus on the heartache and uncertainty of this world. While that is true and is part of every day, that’s not the goal. It’s true, the world around us can feel like a mountain quaking. However, we can focus on our God, what he has done, what he continues to do. We have a place to go or rather, someone to whom we can go. God is our refuge-our safe place. His promises don’t include a carefree world. Just the opposite—he promises that in this world, trouble will always be there. What he does promise for us is clear in Psalm 46. He’s our comforter, our protector, our strength. Like the frightened child who climbs into Mom and Dad’s bed for safety and comfort, we can have peace knowing that we are being held close in God’s loving arms.

The craziness of life isn’t going away but even more, God isn’t going anywhere either. He’s right beside us, behind us, all around us. He’s like a shelter in the middle of a torrential storm. We can exhale knowing that while the storm may continue, he’s there with us. He’s taken away our greatest fear—the consequences of our sin and covered us with his grace and mercy. While the world is shaky, we have peace in our unshakeable, immovable, ever-present God and Father.