Last night we had some pretty crazy, ridiculous weather. There were threats of tornadoes, but it was the wind, rain, lightning and thunder that caught my attention more than anything. One of my very best friends is absolutely terrified of thunderstorms. Even though I'm hundreds of miles and a state away, every time there is thunder I always think of her. A couple of years ago I came across a story that somehow never made it into my Sunday school learnings, but every time there's a thunderstorm I always think about it.
Exodus 19:16-19 says:
"On the third day at daybreak, there were loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud covering the mountain, and an ear-piercing trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp shuddered in fear. Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood at attention at the base of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all smoke because God had come down on it as fire. Smoke poured from it like smoke from a furnace. The whole mountain shuddered in huge spasms. The trumpet blasts grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God answered in thunder."
Thunder... God answered in THUNDER. Moses spoke... and God answered. in THUNDER!!! That offers me some hope. I'll never forget, when I came across those verses the first time, I immediately texted my friend and said this: “The next time you find yourself in the middle of a thunderstorm and you’re scared, I want you to hear the voice of God. It should make you jump a little, but it should also offer you some peace- to know that the God of the universe, creator of everything, including and especially you just wants you to hear his voice and know he’s talking to you.”
Now, thunderstorms don't necessarily scare me, but I will admit, that at times, especially when the lightning is close, and the thunder rips off a huge BOOM, I jump, I'm startled, it might catch me off guard. But then I think, isn't that how the voice of God should be? The creator of the world, and me, has something to say, and sometimes, he needs to get my attention, and break out his "big voice".
But then, I'm also drawn to stories of a gentler voice: like that of 1 Kings. When God was dealing with Elijah, there were a lot of things happening, fire, wind, earthquakes, but God wasn't in any of those things. Unlike in Exodus, when he was causing all of those things, and he spoke in THUNDER. But you know, to me, it's not contradictory. It speaks to the character of my God. Elijah was at a really difficult place in his life. He was depressed, asking God to just kill him off and be done with it, and I'm not sure Thunder would have been the best way to communicate to him. But in Exodus, and with Moses, God is pumped! This is right after God has delivered his people from the Egyptians, and Israel's getting kind of whiny and losing sight of what exactly has happened here. And so God is using some drastic measures to get their attention. HELLO!!!! I'M GOD!!!! I JUST SAVED YOU FROM EGYPT, AND SLAVERY!!!! GIVE ME SOME CREDIT HERE, I'M NOT JUST GOING TO LEAVE YOU TO DIE IN THE DESERT AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH!!!!
I've had times and moments in my life where God has to bring out his "big voice" and really get my attention and remind me that he's big enough to handle me and my stuff. Or he exudes his excitement for all of the amazing things he's doing. But there are other times, when I'm in the pit of despair experiencing untold heartbreak and pain, when God simply walks by and whispers to remind me that he's still there and he's not going anyway.
I'm so thankful for a God who meets us where we are.
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