Stop and watch

God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. 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. (Job 37:5-7)

If you have ever been in the midst of a thunderstorm, you might have just sat and listened as the drops of rain came down and the winds billowed a bit. The patter of the drops on the rooftop aren't all that threatening, but when the huge crack of thunder comes and the sky lights up with lightening, it is another thing. As a wee kid, I'd be outside playing when the winds would start, but they didn't faze me. As soon as I heard that first rumble of thunder, I bolted to the fence line and called to mom. Why? I wanted deliverance from the storm! Within a matter of minutes, mom's arms would be around me and we would be safe inside the protection of the house. The rains came, the winds blew, lightening crisscrossed the sky, and some of the louder thundering even shook the panes in the windows, but I was safe, no longer 'in the storm', but an observer of it all. 

In much the same manner, the storms of life will come, and we will call out for deliverance from the fright of it all. At first, the winds may not really faze us or change our course of action, but as the thunder begins to roll, we head for our place of safety. If that place of refuge is not in Christ, chances are we become a bit more fearful of the blustering storm than we should be. Without Christ, the storm doesn't just threaten us, it causes us to run for cover and then to fret about the outcome. As a kid, I didn't fret about the outcome of the worst of the storms because I was secure within the house and mom was there with me. As a child of God, I don't fret the worst of life's storms because I am secure in his presence and under his watchful care no matter how big the 'bluster' might become. How about you? Do you have that place of safety where you can just 'stop everything and watch his power'? 

Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds? Do you understand how he moves the clouds with wonderful perfection and skill? (vs 15-16) We don't know how God moves as much as we know he is with us. We don't understand all he uses to control the storm, but we sense his movement even when we don't see any hope of it passing. He exercises such perfection and skill at navigating us through the storm, giving us peace in that place of refuge we find in him, and he allows us to simply observe his action on our behalf. We don't have to understand all that is happening around us - good, bad, or a mix of both. We just need to know who it is that is in control of the storm - God. 

We might want to attempt to control it ourselves with words that aren't all that powerful, actions that aren't all the effectual, or thoughts that don't change a thing we are experiencing. The more we try to control the storm, the worse the terror of it all becomes. To know peace in the midst of chaos, one must reach up for the security of his refuge, just like a little girl reaches for the security of her momma's arms and the strength of the walls that surround her on a stormy day. We only 'feel secure' when we 'are secure' - secure to stop and watch the glory of his majesty on display in our lives. Just sayin!