"He causeth the vapors to ascend....He maketh lightnings for the rain; He bringeth the wind out of His treasuries." Psa. 135:7
The psalmist was always impressed with the display of the elements, referring to them as the voice of God speaking to man. In Psa. 29:4 he said, "The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty." Perhaps you also have felt this as you have watched a thunderstorm, seeing the splendor of the lightning and trembling a little as a clap of thunder seemed to shake the earth. Yes, His voice is in these things.
In summer, although clear, blue skies may accompany a bright, sunny day, a storm will sometimes come up unexpectedly. Warm drafts of air, called thermals, often start this change. Rising extremely high and swiftly, moisture in thermals condenses and forms a beautiful, fleecy cumulus cloud, looking like a mound of whipped cream. But its beauty is deceiving. Within it turbulent winds form, whirling like a cyclone at speeds of over 200 miles per hour. Soon it changes its beauty into a darkened thunderhead. Inside the cloud the temperature is dropping, and soon ice particles are whirling madly about. Crashing into one another, they become hailstones.
All this violent action creates brilliant flashes of lightning. Soon the hailstones grow too heavy to stay aloft and break through, falling to earth. At times they remain frozen and, merging with one another, can become as large as baseballs, landing with enough force to dent car tops or break windows. What is God saying in all this? Surely He is reminding us that although we may be very proud and think highly of ourselves, we are as nothing in the presence of His power when it is displayed this way.
Not all storms are destructive. Usually the hail melts and turns into rain on the way down, and the soil quickly drinks it up. This is the goodness of God, as the Bible tells us: "For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; to make the weight for the winds; and He weigheth the waters by measure. When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder" (Job 28:24-26).
Not only does soil drink up this moisture, but plants and trees welcome it, and the Biblical expression, "The little hills rejoice on every side," is evident, as everything is freshened. Birds come out of hiding and also sing for joy, for the rain has brought to the surface a feast of worms and insects. If the rain continues it seeps down to channels under the surface of the earth and replenishes the "water table"—a reservoir kept in the cool earth for the benefit of many of God's creatures, including man and his wells and irrigation systems.
The thunderstorm and its moisture provide just another way in which the Lord looks over all the earth and blesses it with His goodness. Think about this the next time you witness a thunderstorm. Let God speak to you in it.