 
STORMS
ABOUT four thousand years ago five men,
sitting on a mound outside a north Arabian village, watched
a summer thunderstorm gathering over the plains of Uz. One
man was talking earnestly, and he wove into his words the
details of the grandeur before his eyes. Here is the picture
of God's majesty in storms, separated from Elihu's other
words:
"Look unto the heavens, and see; and
behold the clouds which are higher than thou.... Behold, God
... maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain
according to the vapor thereof: which the clouds do drop and
distill upon man abundantly [there was rain off on the
horizon]. Also can any understand the spreadings of the
clouds [the clouds advance across the sky], or the noise of
His tabernacle [distant thunder]? Behold, He spreadeth His
light upon it [mounting thunderheads reflect sunlight], and
covereth the bottom of the sea. [The gathering clouds
changed the appearance of an expanse of water within sight,
perhaps the Persian Gulf, so that it looked dull and muddy.]
. . . With clouds He covereth the light; and commandeth it
not to shine by the cloud that cometh betwixt. . . . At this
also my heart trembleth, and leapeth out of his place. Hear
attentively the noise of His voice, and the muttering that
goeth out of His mouth [the thunder comes nearer and a
sudden brilliant flash of lightning crosses the sky]. He
directeth it under the whole heaven, and His lightning unto
the ends of the earth [the horizon]. After it a voice
roareth: He thundereth with the voice of His excellency....
God thundereth marvelously with His voice. . . .
"He saith to the snow, Be thou on the
earth; likewise to the small rain and to the great rain of
His strength. [A sudden icy blast seems to turn the desert
heat into snow, as a mist of fine rain is followed by
enormous stinging drops.] . ... Then the beasts go into
dens, and remain in their places. Out of the south cometh
the whirlwind: and cold out of the north [the wind veers
fitfully around. the compass; the thermometer is dropping].
Yea, He ladeth the thick cloud with moisture: He scattereth
His bright cloud: and it turneth itself round about. [The
heavy clouds come lower and are driven wildly about by the
varying winds.] . . . Dost thou know the balancings of the
clouds, ... how thy garments are warm, when He quieteth the
earth by the south wind? [The uproar of nature dies down,
and a warm breeze for a moment lifts the icy chill spreading
in from the north; but the storm clouds by now fill the
whole sky.] Hast thou with Him spread out the sky, which is
strong, and as a molten looking glass? . . . We cannot order
our speech by reason of darkness. . . . And now men see not
the bright light which is in the clouds: but the wind
passeth, and cleanseth them. [The churning masses of broken
clouds spread completely over the sky; they have the weird
greenishyellow light of the approaching tornado. Then they
close off the sunlight completely so that even the lightning
is screened out, until the bursting whirlwind again tears
the clouds apart.]
"Fair weather cometh out of the north [a
golden light where the clouds break]: with God is terrible
majesty. . . . Then the Lord answered Job out of the
whirlwind. . . . Then job answered the Lord, . . . I have
heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye
seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and
ashes." (Job 35-42, with margins.)
Though a storm we watch may not end in an
actual vision of God, yet we may see His wondrous working in
the weather and be led to repentance.
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