A few years ago, I had a hard conversation that upended my world. The grief I felt was immense. There was a real fear that some important relationships would be lost forever. There was no way to go back and erase the words that were said. How was I supposed to go on now that this terrible thing had happened?

A few days after that conversation, I took a walk with a friend and our kids around some botanical gardens. It was late spring, and we strolled with warm sunshine on our winter-pale faces until we came to a field that was doused in a river of color. Huge beds of tulips wound their way over spring-green grass, and their lush beauty brought a tear to my eye. My world was strewn in pieces, but here these tulips went right on blooming, gorgeous and unperturbed. How was that possible?! The birds kept singing and the sun kept rising and setting like nothing was wrong. Even though I was mired in grief, the world kept on turning.

I was scared for the future—but God wasn’t. Even in the darkest of times, God never gets scared!

In the beginning of the Bible, after Noah and his family emerged from the ark, God said, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Genesis 8:22). Through war, hatred, jealousy, selfishness, violence, and all manner of sin that we humans wreak on the earth, God keeps the natural world in order. Not a sparrow falls to the ground outside of his care (Matthew 10:29). He knows every leaf, every insect, and every wicked thing that goes on in the world—even the wickedness we hide in our hearts—and he isn’t surprised. God isn’t rattled! Not in the least.

When Adam and Eve fell into sin and condemned the human race, God wasn’t shocked then either. He had a plan. He sent his Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life, die without sin, and rise again to redeem us from hell, where we belonged. And God’s faithful love for faithless sinners like you and me didn’t stop there! To this day God is on his throne and guides all things with his constant love and attention. As it says in James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

God doesn’t get distracted. He doesn’t change his mind. He doesn’t forget about us or make mistakes. He is steadfast. God’s care never wavers, and Psalm 121:3,4 spells out that comfort: “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Though we are often troubled by our own sins and the sins of others, we can rest easy knowing that our abiding heavenly Father is on duty, caring for us 24/7.

Things change on a dime in this world, and somehow it keeps spinning. No matter what we do or feel, stock markets tumble, car crashes steal those we love, we get bad diagnoses, and tulips keep blooming. It can all seem so senseless; life can be both beautiful and downright scary. Yet in all the chaos of this world, God’s Word declares, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

God never changes. He is eternal, rock solid, and all-powerful. In a world shifting under our feet, God will keep guiding it and guiding our lives until the end of time. His love for us is unshakable! Even when we don’t know what’s coming next, our Savior never gets scared—and that sure makes our lives a whole lot less scary!

Think about a time your life was upended. How does the steadfast quality of God give you comfort in times like those?