The God of Thunder
Bang. 2:50 in the morning I found myself camping out in the northern wilderness of Minnesota. A thunderstorm was rolling through and after about 30 minutes of it slowly echoing through the hillside – it was here. Aside from a sold out Dodger Stadium, I’d never felt the ground shake due to noise. That changed the other night.
Only a handful of occasions have I felt true terror. There is an awesome power that nature possesses. Whether it’s the roaring waters of a rushing river or the force of a raging fire – nature is powerful.
It’s easy to neglect and forget the playground we find ourselves in when we are rolling through our day-to-day life, but it is the playground we’re playing in nonetheless. The power of nature is an exceptional reminder of how awesome our God is.
Not only during our day-to-day routines do we lose sight of the power of nature, but it’s also easy to forget about the even greater power of God.
As the storm continued to roll in, rain drops began to fall at an increased rhythm. Continually I checked the corners of my tent for any noticeable leaks. The wind continued to blow at a greater pace. Eight seconds, five seconds, three seconds between the bright-flashing strikes of lightning and the claps of thunder.
Then suddenly – one second and a noise so loud my heart began to pump, what felt like, straight out of my chest. Swirling, I could feel my adrenaline reaching the top of my head and the tips of my fingers – I need to get out of here.
Playing the options through my mind, I quickly realized – there was literally nowhere for me to go. And then it happened, a flashing bang with not but a millisecond between. The thunderstorm wasn’t only here, it was right above me. The strike raced down from the angry clouds in what couldn’t have been more than 100 yards away – if that much.
It was here my terror turned to helplessness – a weird feeling. On one hand, it’s incredibly challenging to accept the fact that there’s literally nothing you can do. On the other hand, once you’ve accepted the helpless feeling it actually frees you to let go. I stopped trying to solve the problem or find a way out. Logic and trust began to work together to calm me down.
The chances a lightning strike, out of all the possible landing spots, would choose me were still especially low. In my letting go, I found myself praying to the Lord for safety. With ringing ears and thundering hills, I began to breathe, quickly at first and then more and more slowly. The seconds resumed between flashes and thunder. My eyes began to return to their heavier state – the weariness of the last two hours recapturing their role.
The pitter-patter of the rain began to lull me back to sleep. Reflecting on the night, the moment of terror and helplessness awakened something in me. It reminded me how small I am. I don’t mean small in terms of insignificance, but rather regarding power.
So often I find myself complaining about things like fairness, or whining because circumstances aren’t exactly as I’d like them to be. Moments of awe-inspiring power shake those concerns and crumble them to the ground. It’s not that they aren’t important, but true power puts things into perspective.
Friend, our God is an awesome God. Not awesome as in cool, but awesome as in truly powerful and mighty. As powerful as nature is, it’s God in His wisdom, power, and might that spoke that strength into existence. Paul mentions in Romans, “If God is for us who can be against us” (Romans 8:31). Whether that lightning strike hit my tent or not, I know that my faith and trust in God’s goodness means the salvation of my soul which is far greater than the wellbeing of my body here on earth.
When’s the last time you were reminded of the awesome power of the Lord? Maybe these past few minutes can serve as the speed bump in your day to remind you that God is powerful and mighty and you’re not. But in His greatness and our lack, friend, our God is so for you. You aren’t only valued, you’re loved and cherished by God. Even if just for a moment or two, I want to encourage you to reflect on the true greatness of God today. He’s the God who made the thunder.
