The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.
Psalm 29
The sound of thunder is literally electric. As the heated air expands rapidly, deep explosive sounds pour forth. If you’ve been outside as one of these storms approach you can both see, hear and feel the power that is being unleashed in sky and earth.
Thunder and lightening and storms are dramatic moments, which cause us to sit up and take notice. We can experience fear and awe and wonder. A thunderstorm is not to be taken lightly.
It is no wonder, then, that the Psalmist compares God’s voice to the sound of thunder. Anyone who has heard the call of God, experienced the beauty of God, known the saving power of God, knows what it is like to be caught up in a divine storm of both light, sound, and complete re-orientation.
Annie Dillard writes, "Does anyone have the foggiest idea of what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews."
Dillard’s contemporary spin on the Psalmists description of the power of the Word reminds us how often we float into the scriptures on a raft of complacency when we are being invited to radical conversion. We seek comfort, when we are offered redemption. We hope for enough grace to get through the week ahead, when we are being given grace poured forth and running over.
Let’s listen to that powerful voice thundering forth into our hearts. Let’s throw off caution and put on the mantle of trust in the Living God.
