In September of 1989 Hurricane Hugo ripped up the Carolina coast killing 50 people and doing over 17 billion dollars in damages. At the time, it was the most expensive hurricane to ever make landfall. I was six years old and living in North Charleston, about 20 miles from where this storm would make landfall.

In the days leading up to the storm, I remember watching the Weather Channel with my family as they brainstormed how to handle the looming hurricane. At the same time, my dad was on a mission, nailing boards over windows, purchasing a generator, and stockpiling canned goods and water. Meanwhile, my mom was busy gathering clothes and toys for our upcoming stay at my grandmother’s place once the storm hit. And in the midst of all the commotion, my grandmother was singing.

As the storm got closer and closer, I became more and more afraid of what might happen. Would something happen to our house? Would someone get hurt? Could I, or someone in my family die? And why was my grandmother singing?

And then, the storm rolled in. The winds were howling, the rain poured relentlessly, and the thunder and lightning illuminated the night sky, shaking the ground beneath us. It felt as if all of creation was in turmoil. Little six-year-old Brandon was gripped by an overwhelming sense of fear. But amidst the chaos, my grandmother’s demeanor was nothing short of intriguing. She remained strangely serene as she continued to sing.

Eventually, as suddenly as it began, the storm stopped. And I remember this, almost eerie, calmness that seemed to settle in. My dad got up and went outside and I asked my mom if it was over. Thats when I learned about the eye of the storm; the calm break in the middle of a hurricane. Suddenly any sense of calmness I felt left my mind and was replaced by that familiar sense of chaos and fear. My dad was outside, the door to our house was open, the storm could start again at any moment and who knows what would happen then. And as I took in all of these facts and tried as best as I could to process these feelings, I looked at my grandmother and saw that odd sense of peace about her. And of course, she was still singing.

At this point, I must admit, I was quite confused. Didn’t she know that it was scary out there? Didn’t she realize the danger, the chaos, and the mess that was right outside of our door? How could she possibly have peace in this moment and why in the world was she still singing. It was weird. It didn’t make any sense. But there she was, surrounded by chaos, but completely at peace. And it was because she knew. She knew that the one who created it all, was above it all. And because of that truth, she could have peace in the midst of the storm.

The Bible recounts an interesting story in Matthew 14, where Jesus sends His disciples across a lake while He ascends a mountain to pray. Later that night, a violent storm strikes, and the disciples are filled with fear. They must have felt the terror of the winds, the pelting rain, the surging waves, and the ominous creaking of their boat. As the situation grew more and more dire, they began to fear for their lives. Suddenly, they notice a figure walking on the water, which they initially mistook for a ghost. After an interesting moment where Peter briefly walks on water, Jesus steps into the boat and calms the storm. The story ends with Jesus posing a poignant question to the disciples: “Why did you doubt?” This question carries even greater weight when we consider that these disciples had been here before.

In Mark 4 we find Jesus and the disciples in nearly the exact same situation:

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Mark 4:35-40 (NIV)

The same situation, the same outcome, the same question. How did they not know? How did they, the disciples, the guys who got to follow Jesus around all the time and experience His miracles on a regular basis, not know what my grandmother knew all the way down to her core? How did they not know that Jesus was above it all?

Maybe the disciples are a little bit like me. I have a tendency to view any chaos as if it is brand new chaos. Whether I have been in one storm or a hundred, they tend to all feel like uncharted territory, like its the first i’ve heard of it. And it is that feeling that reminds me that in the midst of chaos, we never rise to our ideal situation. Instead, we fall to our foundations.

So let me ask you today, where is your foundation? Do you know? Do you know that Jesus is above it all? Do you know that He is in control of it all? And do you know that that truth applies whether the sun is shining or the rain is pouring, the winds are whipping, and the storm is raging. Do you know like my grandmother knew that while the storm may change, Jesus never does. Is your foundation in Him? Because if it’s not, we risk drowning in the chaos.

Eventually, the eye of that hurricane passed and my family and I were right back in the middle of a raging storm. The second half of the storm was more intense and I remember being terrified as it began. As the storm raged, you could hear trees breaking apart and things hitting the side of the house. But above the noise, I could hear my grandmother continuing song after song, praising God through it all.

The next day we were assessing the damage and I realized, that I couldn’t remember the rest of the storm. I don’t remember how or when it ended. And I realized that, at some point in the night, I fell asleep. In the midst of all of that chaos, I somehow fell asleep. I was in a house, surrounded by my family, listening to my grandmother sing and all of that allowed me to shift my focus. I found the peace I needed because my focus wasn’t on the storm, it was on the people who would hold it all together for me.

I don’t know what storms you are facing today, but I do know this: When you take your focus off of the storm and put it on Jesus, the one who is above it all, you will find peace despite the wind and rain. I am not promising that the storm will go away or that it will all turn out the way you want it to. But I am promising that you will have peace, hope, and strength in the midst of it. What storms are raging in your life? Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and he will guide you to the other side.