Storms, rain and flooding have created hardships for regions of America's heartland in recent weeks. Cities and fields have been covered with water, damaging property and crops alike. This has been a factor in pushing up the price of grain on an already inflated commodities market. Nature and the elements are beyond our control but are always present to teach us lessons.

I thought of this recently while flying home from a personal trip. While sitting at the terminal gate in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, I witnessed a monster storm cloud roll across the tarmac. It was ominous. Planes were hurrying to land ahead of the storm. When the dark thundercloud finally hit, there was rain, wind and long tails of lightning piercing the sky. It was a dramatic scene to watch from my seat, a view of a summer storm unleashing its full fury, halting the flow of sophisticated aircraft technology in and out of one of the world's busiest airports.

Storms are fascinating to watch. They can move with startling speed across the horizon and quickly cover the sky. The wind blows, lightning flashes and thunder crashes. It is summer fireworks at its best.

Storms remind us that nature works on its own timetable, and it can disrupt or delay our well-laid plans. We live, move and have our being in the hands of God. We are not always the masters of our fate.

But the best part of a summer storm is after it passes. As light returns, it is often diffused, tinged with a silky hue that casts a calming effect across the landscape. The best part is when a rainbow appears. On this day a stunning rainbow appeared before my eyes. It arched across the sky, framing the scene in a statement that brought cheer and hope.

That's what rainbows do. They lift our eyes to the heavens and dazzle us with a display of color that saturates the senses. Everyone stops to marvel at the sight of a rainbow. Nothing in nature seems to improve on this piece of God's handiwork.

In Genesis 9:8-17 we're told God gave a rainbow to Noah after the Flood as a sign that He would never again treat the earth in the same way. It is a sign of God's promise to preserve life for His ultimate spiritual purpose.

I took a lesson from this summer storm. God is with us and sees us through all the turbulent periods of life. He gives us warning to seek shelter. Just as the rainbow is a sign of God's promise to Noah, so also we can claim all He promises as an anchor of hope in an uncertain world.

Each day brings us news of higher prices for food and fuel, economic downturn and strife among nations. For many it may seem that the world is spinning out of control, as the order of daily life goes through change. Just when events seem to level off, nature steps in and adds the unexpected.

Keep your eyes on God. He not only controls the course of nations, but He also controls the elements. Our lives are in His hands, and He will guide us through the difficult times and see us into His Kingdom.

Keep watching.