And The Thunder Rolls
As I write this there is an awesome electrical and thunder storm raging outdoors. The rain has been tremendous, falling as if it were in sheets being dropped one right after another. The thunder rattles windows and the lightning makes you nearly jump out of your shoes. Some parts of the area are getting pelted by hail, as if the rain were not enough. And do you know what? I love it! I don’t particularly like being wet, but wet is what you get when you love the rain.
It was the thunderstorm that made me want to write this. It reminds me of various Scriptures in the Bible that describe in some kind of form we can understand what the activity is like around the throne of God. Lightning and rumblings were very often closely associated with a throne scene. God likes the rumble and the flash.
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” (Isaiah 6:1-4)
The awesome nature of God stands out in His presence. There cannot be quietness, unless He is about to pass judgement on a nation. When heaven gets quiet, something is about to happen to someone somewhere.
How awesome and terrifying it must have been standing at the foot of that mountain when Moses was up there in God’s presence. How taken back Isaiah must have been when He witnessed “The Lord of Host” in the passage above. All he could do was look at himself and see that he did not fit in the picture. “I am a man of unclean lips,” he cried.
Being in the presence of God should make us take a good, hard, close look at ourselves. We often think we are pretty good, but standing up next to His holiness paints a whole different picture.
Do you know what is even more remarkable about Isaiah’s experience? Later in the Bible, in the book of John, John writes to his audience concerning some of the folks who were having a difficult time believing on Jesus and quotes some of the verses from Isaiah’s experience in Isaiah chapter 6. After the quote John gives this commentary: “These things said Isaiah, because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.” (John 12:41)
This same God, “the Lord,” mentioned in Isaiah 6:1 is identified as Jesus Christ by the Apostle John. Now, this same Jesus Christ has taken up residence on His throne and that throne is in our heart. He dwells in us. Awesome! Therefore, there should be some sense of awesomeness in us constantly. This powerful, all knowing God lives in us. Somehow that should be a humbling experience. There is nowhere we can go and nothing that we can do that does not include the God of the universe. It is a huge responsibility for us to correct our steps and keep our lives in check.
And, do you know what? Just like the thunder is rumbling right now and the lightning is flashing, God just may decide to do the same thing through you when He touches the lives of those to whom you minister. You may not see it or hear it, but the power can move people just the same. And when it happens, it will not be you. It will be God working through you. What an awesome thought.
So, next time you hear the thunder and see the lightning in a storm, just remember that the same God who shook the doorpost of the temple by just making His arrival is in you and you and I are a vessel of a precious cargo. There is power within us!