Some time back, I came across an old oak tree standing tall along a country lane. What caught my eye wasn’t just its size, but a massive scar running right down the trunk. It looked like it had taken a direct hit from a bolt of lightning years ago.

Yet despite the deep wound, the tree was thriving. The bark had healed over the edges, new branches had spread out wide, and its canopy was full of green leaves. It had weathered the storm and kept right on growing.

We all face storms in this life. Some of them are natural trials—illness, loss, or economic stress. Others are self-inflicted wounds from poor choices we’ve made. When those lightning strikes hit, human nature tempts us to think we’re permanently broken or that God has looked away.

David, a man who survived more than his share of betrayal and storms, wrote these words:

“Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.”

Psalm 54:4

David didn’t always know when God was going to resolve his problems, or why the trial was allowed to last so long. But he knew one thing with absolute certainty: God had his back.

When the storms of life crack across our bow, we have a choice. We can sit in the rubble and dwell on the pain, or we can lean into the One whose strength is made perfect in our weakness. God’s faithfulness doesn’t promise that a branch will never snap; it promises that He will sustain our roots so we are never uprooted.

Is there an old scar or a current storm you need to stop carrying alone and place into the hands of the One who sustains you?