News of the terrible tornadoes that ripped through the South last night brought to my mind the terror that people feel today. Most that I talk to have the feeling that “something is going on” beyond our capacity to fully understand. Natural disasters, economic woes, societal unrest and revolutions…the list is long.

Americans spend $21 billion a year on bottled water. We also spend priceless amounts of time seeking inner fulfillment. The world scares us, despite its traces of original beauty and goodness. I have friends from all religious walks of life, and a few who say they are atheists or agnostics.

As I watched a video of a monster tornado rip through Alabama, it called to mind the “reaping the whirlwind” passages from Scripture, the ones that highlight the tragic consequences of wrong choices. But my mind then quickly went to that wonderful promise—a full-blown prophecy, although most don’t think of it that way—in John 16:33.

Here, Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in this life. He throws that cup of cold water in our faces upfront. However, He then immediately offers the ultimate comfort: He says that we should actually be happy, because He has overcome the world. In other words, the nastier elements of our environment can threaten to overcome us, but our Creator is stronger than that.

As with any discussion of Bible prophecy and the trustworthiness of Scripture, we should remember that ultimately, it is a source of supreme hope and comfort. It is real, practical-living stuff.

I believe John 16:33 is rooted in reality and has practical, even pragmatic value. Terrors come to all of us, but Jesus has overcome all of them.