Psalm 29:1-5

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters…The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.” vss. 3, 5

The beauty of creation regularly brings us to our knees in awe and admiration. We’re especially drawn to sunrises and sunsets, or the appearance of a rainbow in the sky. In those moments we’re drawn to give thanks and praise to God for the wonder of life and the privilege of being a witness to the splendors of nature. We don’t need to think about our response, the joy rises spontaneously within us, and we run to find a camera to capture the moment. The psalmist surely had those moments, but there were other times too. Here he describes the Lord as a  thunderstorm, one with brilliant flashes of lightning and powerful winds. For him the storm was a reminder of God’s power and might, and his own weakness and fragility. We who have been caught out in such storms know what he’s talking about. The thunder literally shakes the ground, while the lightning turns night to day, and the winds are relentless. Unless we have shelter we will be blown about like leaves–the strength of the storm is overwhelming. While we know that God is more than a storm god, there’s nothing like a tornado or hurricane to remind us that God is more than we can even imagine, and certainly deserving of our praise and glory.

Thought for the Day: How do big storms affect me?