It was a wild night here in the heart of Wisconsin, although it was much worse up north before the sun went down. Someone was killed by the fury of the storms, a couple dozen more injured, property damaged and scattered over the farm fields — toys tossed by a tantrumming toddler. Two areas getting some of the worst, Chetek and Ogema. I have a friend who has a daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren in each of those towns and I am sure prayers for their protection have been nonstop. Prayers also for those wounded and those who have lost property and life.
Here, the storm is just sweeping over us with her skirts. Still the thunder rattles my windows and shivers the floorboards. I don’t know if it’s the construction or the location, or both, but my house seems to act as an amplifier, not just for thunder, but for many neighborhood noises, and tonight is no exception.
The storm’s been playing bass on all her instruments tonight. There’s the low grumble of the distant tympani rumbling along for nearly a minute at a time, like a distant freight train. Growing nearer, staccato beats punctuate the silver treble of the rain. Ripples of a slightly higher pitched roar chase each other and I can feel them rolling over and about like a litter of puppies at play. Ah, the basso profundo! The flash reaches into the corners of the room as the lightning rips the air apart and the crash resonates throughout the house, followed by the scream of a rocket in flight. The rain itself is moving from treble to alto as it intensifies.
There is danger in the storm, as she has so profoundly proven this day. There is music as well, and a dark beauty. Jeremiah the prophet described the voice of God in terms of thunder…”When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.” We cannot control the power of the storm, so we fear it. But even in the midst of the tempest, whether the tempest is a tornado, hailstorm, or rain…or illness, or loss, or poverty, God still remains in control.
The storm is also a prophecy. A single lightning bolt that tears the very atoms of the air apart contains enough energy to power a small town for a day. The soundwaves of the thunder itself can shatter glass. Neither goes unnoticed. Neither can be ignored. So too, the prophecy…”The LORD will cause people to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with… consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.” Or as Jesus Himself stated, “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” and “I AM. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
As children, to allay our fears of the storm, our mother told us thunder was the sound of angels bowling in heaven. We must be pragmatic and take precautions against the fury of the storm. But it is wisdom to also listen to her message. There is a power in the world beyond our control. That power can speak of judgment…where judgment is due. But it also speaks of the One who controls the power and in His care, even though loss of the most severe nature, may come, there is safety and a haven from which to observe and revel in the glory and majesty of Him who rides the heavens on the wings of the storm.
Kathy Kexel 