Job
37:6-7
He directs the snow to fall on the earth and
tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops working so they can watch his
power.
The weather is a quite
common topic of conversation. Even when meeting strangers, discussing the
current weather patterns is a convenient way of starting the
getting-to-know-you process.
But rarely do we
acknowledge our God in these conversations, He Who is the Creator and Designer of
it all as we soon realize when God Himself asks Job in Job 38:25 Who
created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the
lightning?
On reading our verse quoted from Job 37, I
came to realize that God intended that adverse weather conditions such as snow
in winter and torrential rain, should also keep us indoors and disrupt our
outdoor activities in order that we can cease our tasks and meditate on His
power and might.
In the midst of a powerful
storm, when thunder claps ring in our ears and lightning lights up the dark
clouds and sky in an awesome display of indescribable power, we can be reminded
of a few instances in the Bible where God is associated with thunder and
lightning: The day God wished to reveal
Himself to the Israelites at Mount Sinai in Ex 20:18 When the people saw
the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke,
they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance. We know that
Daniel, Ezekiel, and John reported that the throne of God emits flashes of
lightning and peals of thunder (Rev 4:5 From the throne came flashes of
lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder). The voice of God sounds
like thunder, as we read when God spoke to Jesus in John 12:29 When the
crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an
angel had spoken to him.
Hail reminds us that God
uses hail in judgment (Job 38:22-23 Have you entered the storehouses of
the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of
trouble, for days of war and battle?) Which indeed He used in the past
(Joshus 10:11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon
to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died
from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.) and
will again in the future (Rev 16:21 From the sky huge hailstones, each
weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people.)
God’s voice often comes
through the whirlwind, as Asaph records in Ps 77 and as Job’s
companions found out when they were caught in the storm on the refuge heap with
Job! (Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind)
Points to
ponder: When next you are kept inside because of a
brewing storm or mighty wind or hail or heavy rain, do not grab your devices
and search for a film or YouTube video to keep you busy – search instead for
Bible verses describing how God is manifested through the weather, and meditate
on His power and majesty!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.