thunder

Job 41:1 “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?

Job 40:15 “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox.”

Job 40:9 “Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?”

There is an interesting story in the life of Elijah where he fled in fear from a wicked queen who vowed to take his life. His fleeing led him deep into the desert, where he hid in a cave. There in hiding, he heard the sound of a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but he heard the voice of God only in a whisper. Job is having the exact opposite experience. He is hearing from God and His voice is like a whirlwind thundering in his ears. The truths being revealed are so profound they shouted loudly to Job. Those truths proclaim that God is unlike Job and Job is unlike God.

To make this point, God reminds Job, there are creatures in the animal kingdom that are beyond man’s ability to tame. He describes two creatures, one a land animal and the other a sea creature, that are so strong that a man with all his abilities would be incapable of containing. The purpose is to teach us, since we cannot understand the ways of nature, how can we expect to fully understand the ways of the one who brought nature into being.

When Job finally grasps the fact that God is beyond his understanding, he is freed from the accusations he had brought against Him. As long as Job had a small view of God, he grew resentful of his circumstances. I think it is time for us to allow the Scriptures to expand our view of God. We need to see that there is an enormous, even eternal gap, between God and His creation. It is not that we cannot know Him, but that we need to know Him as God, and walk with Him accordingly.

Instead of shrinking God into a little image you can understand, allow the Bible to reveal the vastness of who He is, and shine into your life and circumstances.

Pastor Jim

Job 37:5
“God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend.”

Job is in the midst of a very confusing period in his life. He has been struggling to determine what God is doing, and why he is facing these particular struggles. Elihu reminds him that God’s voice is like thunder. Living in South Florida we know the sound of thunder. There are times when the thunder is so loud, the walls of the house actually shake. Elihu is saying the voice of God is so loud and pronounced it is impossible to miss.

The Psalmist put it this way,

Psalms 29:3 “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders…”

Years later, Scripture records an incident in the life of Elijah, who was facing some pretty intense trials of his own. The queen had vowed to use all the available resources to hunt him down, and have him killed. Because of the reality of this threat, Elijah fled to the wilderness and hid in a cave. In the seclusion of his mountain get-away, Elijah learned the voice of God is often like a quiet whisper in the heart (1 Kings 19:1-12).

So which is it? Is God’s voice like roaring thunder, or is it like a quiet whisper? The answer is both. God shouts His will from the pages of His Word. We don’t have to question if we should avoid sin, love others, share Christ with the lost, worship God, speak kindly, show compassion, take the low place, forgive others, honor the godly or look for ways to serve in our local church. Those things are declared with the thundering voice of God, in the pages of His Word. On the other hand, when we are trying to determine specifics for our lives, like who to marry, where to move, what to major in, or what job to take, the voice of God is more like a whisper. Instead of being frustrated when God chooses to speak in a still small voice, we should realize His purpose in doing so is to draw us close to Himself.

Luke 10:42 “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

While Martha was busy running around serving, her sister Mary sat quietly at the feet of Jesus, listening to His Word. When questioned, Jesus explained that sitting at His feet listening to His Word was more important than serving Him. There are things we will never learn if we do not make it our practice to sit quietly with the Lord and read our Bibles. Some make the mistake of never getting alone with the Lord, while others make the mistake of getting alone without getting into the Word. If you want to hear God whisper, make it your daily practice to spend time in His Word.

Pastor Jim