Thunderstorms Are No Problem For God
Psalm 29 is one of my favorites and I was rather excited when I discovered that it was part of the Bible reading for today, and today was my day to write the blog. This Psalm has been called the Psalm of the thunderstorm. Sometimes we read the poetry of the Bible and fail to see what it is really saying.
This was some storm that David observed. The thunder was echoing over the waters. The storm was powerful enough to break the mighty cedar trees. The mountains were shaking so hard it reminded David of a skipping calf or the playful antics of a young wild ox. It sounds poetic, but that must have been awesome shaking. There were flashes of lightning. The desert shook. Giant oak trees were twisted and the trees of the forest were stripped of their leaves.
Where was God in all this? He was sitting enthroned over the flood!!. What is a storm to mankind is just an opportunity for God to show his kingship. He sits down right on top of it and makes it his throne.
I have been through a few "thunderstorms" in my life. To name a few: Both of my parents died in the same year, in the space of seven months at the young ages of 59 and 62. The day the doctor gave me a diagnosis of breast cancer. The news we received that our policeman son was in a car crash, had a closed head injury and was being airlifted to a Seattle hospital. The diagnosis of possible cancer in the spinal column of our 19-year-old son (which turned out to be benign tumors but still required radiation). A son who was wayward for years, addicted to meth, not knowing where he was for weeks at a time, often in jail. And more recently the death of my husband of 51 years. Right now I am in the midst of a mini-thunderstorm. I thought I had my house sold, have been packing and selling furniture, and then the buyers backed out.
When you're in the midst of the storm it can seem as powerful as David's description. You feel that the very ground under you is shaking. Things that were stable, like mighty oaks, are being twisted and stripped. The flood waters seem that they will overwhelm you. Where is God in all this? He is sitting enthroned over your thunderstorm and he gives you strength and peace. (Verse 11). The thunderstorms of our life are an opportunity for God to show himself powerful. That's why we can ascribe glory and strength to the Lord.
Isaiah 26:2 says "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." The secret is to keep your mind steadfast on the Lord while you're in the midst of the storm, not letting the thunder of your circumstances distract you from remembering who your God is. He is the God with whom nothing is impossible!!!
No thunderstorm of life is fun. I did not choose my thunderstorms nor would I want to go through them again. But God has shown that he is still God in the thunderstorms and they don't shake his dominion or kingship. He is still there after the storm has subsided, offering calm assurance and peace that he will never leave you or forsake you. "The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deut. 33:27.
Just remember, thunderstorms are no problem for God.
Leviticus 23, Psalm 30, Ecclesiastes 6, 2 Timothy 2
Leviticus 23, Psalm 30, Ecclesiastes 6, 2 Timothy 2
God is good all the time,
Naomi Brinkman
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