Tornado Alley

October 2025

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Tornadoes are part of life in West Texas. Sirens wailing,  parents scrambling their kids to safety, dark and threatening skies, high winds, hail; these are memories permanently etched into the minds of anyone who has lived in the infamous, “Tornado Alley.” Because these powerful and destructive storms were regular visitors to our region, entire communities practiced tornado drills and prepared us to know how to react when twisters were nearby.

David Jeremiah shares the true story of Jason Nash in his book, “Shelter in God.”  Nash was suspended 375 feet above the ground, in the cab of a construction crane, when a swarm of tornadoes barreled through the city of Nashville in March 2020. The storm front approached so rapidly, he had no chance to scramble down the crane to find safety.

He pulled out his phone and captured the scene on camera. I cannot think of a worse scenario in which to face an oncoming tornado, but he survived to tell about it. Apparently, modern cranes are capable of going into “weathervane mode” and can spin freely in wind speeds of over 100 miles per hour!

Life’s storms can hit as suddenly and destructively as a Texas tornado, can’t they? If our soul is not protected by our nearness to God, or if we have not settled some heart issues before Him, these wind spirals can send us spinning out of control mentally and emotionally; just ask Job and his wife!

Jeremiah finds help for these severe storms in Psalm 107: “They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end” (vv. 26–27)

“Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.” (v. 28)

 Any one of us who has weathered the worst and deepest trials knows the length and depth of our prayers is increased when we grow desperate. Our heart cry becomes, “Lord – help!” We can also testify that He      always comes and meets us in the storm; our knowledge of Him and His ways moves to the next  level.

If you are facing the terror of the tornado and feel helpless to do anything – take shelter in His arms.

Dr. Lynn Hardaway