Tuesday, November 3, 2026From the news

The Ever-Present Help: Remaining Near in the Storm

When a sudden tragedy takes nine lives, including a young pilot whose life was just beginning, God remains a refuge who draws near to the brokenhearted and holds us in a love nothing can break.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

Psalm 46:1-2

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

This week's news from Palm Beach County is heavy to hold. On Sunday, a private Learjet bound for the Bahamas came down in a violent thunderstorm near a mobile home park in Greenacres, Florida, and nine people lost their lives. Among them was Nathalia Filgueiras, twenty years old, who was serving as co-pilot. Her mother spoke of a daughter who had loved flying since childhood, who had earned her private pilot's license at seventeen, and who had seen the world, as her mother put it, from the top. Her family is grieving a future that will not unfold as they had imagined. Investigators will spend many days trying to understand what happened, and the questions they must answer are weighty. But for those of us who read this story over coffee, the first thing it asks of us is not an explanation. It asks us to sit quietly with people who are hurting.

If you are carrying a heaviness after reading this, let me gently say that your reaction makes sense. Sudden loss has a way of shaking the ground under us. One moment the sky seems ordinary, and the next, everything has changed. Many of you know that kind of shaking in your own life, whether through a phone call you did not expect, a diagnosis that came without warning, or a grief that still surprises you on quiet mornings. The psalmist knew this too. He wrote of the earth giving way and the mountains falling into the sea. Scripture does not pretend that such days are small or that they are easy to bear.

Yet notice what the same psalm declares: God is "an ever-present help in trouble." The word ever-present means He is not distant from the wreckage. He is near to it. Psalm 34 says the same in gentler language: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." When we cannot make sense of what has happened, we are not asked to pretend that we can. We are invited to come near to the One who is already near to us. Take heart in that. Your sorrow is not too much for Him, and your confusion does not drive Him away.

The apostle Paul, who knew suffering and loss firsthand, wrote words that have steadied countless hearts. He was convinced that nothing, not death, not life, not any power in all creation, could separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Notice how thoroughly he lists the things we fear: death, height, depth, the present, the future. In a story about a plane falling from the sky, the reference to height and depth may feel especially close. Yet Paul's point is that no fall, no crash, and no storm can carry us beyond the reach of Christ's love. For those who belong to Him, even death does not have the final word.

So let us practice some small, faithful things this week. Pray for the families of the nine people who died, including the Filgueiras family and all those who are waiting for names and answers. Pray for the investigators, the first responders, and the community near the crash site. If you have a friend who works in aviation or who has lost someone suddenly, reach out with a simple message and let them know you are thinking of them. And if you find yourself afraid to fly, to drive, or simply to face the uncertainty of the coming days, bring that fear to God honestly. He is not offended by it.

Finally, take a moment to remember that every life is a gift entrusted to God, from the youngest co-pilot to the oldest passenger. Our days are short and fragile, and that truth should make us tender toward one another and grateful for the people we love today. Let the news of this week draw you toward prayer rather than away from it. The storm is real, but so is the God who meets us inside it. He is our refuge, He is near to the brokenhearted, and He will not let us go.