In the early 1960s, Gloria sat at home on New Year’s Day in the midst of a personal storm.

She was pregnant. Her husband Bill was sick. Drugs were exploding across U.S. campuses. Rebellion was breaking out all over. She wondered into what kind of crazy world she was bringing this baby.

As her anxiety mounted, a thought penetrated the storm surrounding her. God reminded her that Christ’s tomb was empty!

She knew her baby was in God’s hands throughout the uncertainty before him, so she, too, could face the child’s future with a calm assurance.

That evening, Gloria Gaither wrote the lyrics to “Because He Lives.”

These beautiful, hope-filled words speak of Jesus’ mission on earth: to love, to heal, and to forgive. They explain why He had to die for us, but that He is now alive.

This is what gives us courage to face whatever comes, a fearlessness that clings to the fact that Christ holds the future. Because of all that, life is worth living.

And this is where our minds must be trained to go when we face crises — to the fact that the living Christ can handle any situation we place in His hands. He will rise to every occasion, rebuke the storms of our lives, and bring us peace.