When we started preparing for our move to Kansas, guess what the very first thing I researched was?

Tornadoes.

While Texas certainly sees its fair share of wild weather, in my 25 years living in Central Texas, we only got close to a real tornado a couple of times. Spring rains were more of a pleasant surprise than a regular forecast, and tornadic weather just didn’t seem like a pressing concern most years.

But Kansas? Kansas is a whole different story.

And the story of the Wizard of Oz is set in Kansas, of course.

I haven’t yet experienced a major storm here, but I’m reminded of the possibility every week—starting in April, the tornado sirens are tested every Monday at noon. I recognized the sound immediately, but my 22-year-old son had never heard one before. He was somewhat unnerved.

I get it. It’s eerie. It’s also oddly comforting.

Because even if the storm hasn’t come yet, at least we know the siren works.

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Memory of a Warning

Being introduced to this weekly siren brought back a memory from my teenage years, growing up in southwest Michigan. One day, a major thunderstorm was brewing by our neighborhood. I remember the sky turning black—dark, menacing, and rolling in fast.

Our trash can was stationed at the curb for the next day’s pickup, and I knew if I didn’t bring it in, it would be halfway down the street by morning. With a deep breath for courage, I ran down the driveway to drag it inside.

As I turned to pull the can into the garage, I paused. At the end of our street was a cul-de-sac, and the sky beyond it looked like something out of a movie—pitch black and creeping closer by the second. Then, I heard the siren. I had only moments to get back inside.

It was one of the darkest skies I’d ever seen. The kind that makes your heart beat a little faster. Yet I knew that our house had a basement I could go to for safety from the storm.

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God’s Wisdom as Preparation

Sometimes in life, we’re so focused on surviving on oncoming crisis that we forget that there were likely ways that God prepared us beforehand.

Tornado sirens only work when we respond by moving to safety. How do we know how to prepare for life’s storms? We can ask God for wisdom, trusting that He will teach us to respond when things look like they are going to fall apart.

He gladly gives His wisdom through Scripture, through the Holy Spirit, through a friend’s gentle word or in a moment in prayer.

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What is Your Siren?

Friend, what if the tension you’re feeling in your spirit isn’t something to be feared—but something to be heeded? It may be time to ask God for wisdom.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
— James 1:5 (NIV)

Sometimes we don’t know exactly what the warning is about—we just know something feels unsettled. In those moments, we can go to the One who sees the storm before we do. We can ask for wisdom and clarity instead of panic or paralysis.

God is not just the giver of the warning—He is also the giver of direction. Instead of rushing ahead, take a moment to ask: Lord, what are You trying to show me? What do You want me to do next?

Sometimes, wisdom is the shelter we need most.

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Journaling Prompts:

What are some “warning sirens” in your life right now—signs of stress, overwhelm, or spiritual weariness—that you might be ignoring? What might God be gently urging you to prepare for or pay attention to?

Think back to a time when a “storm” hit your life unexpectedly. How did you see God’s presence or provision during or after that season?

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