God’s Fireworks
August 3, 2015
Job 36:27-33 “He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the cloudspour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. … He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.” I imagine most of us enjoyed watching or putting off some fireworks during the Fourth of July holidays. While in Detroit on the Youth Worship Arts choir tour, I enjoyed some tremendous fireworks with the youth on the Detroit River. The show started with a fly over by some vintage World War II aircraft. A helicopter came from the Canadian side carrying a huge Canadian flag under its belly. The fireworks started and were like the finales we usually see only this lasted for 25 minutes! We were told they shot off more than 13 thousand pounds of fireworks that evening! Those fireworks were amazing, but Ashley and I watched some other amazing fireworks just the other night. We were out walking in the evening with our dog, Max. Since it has been so hot, we have been walking after the sun goes down. There was a thunderstorm off in the distance and the light show was awe-inspiring. Every few seconds the clouds would light up. Sometimes ribbons of lightning moved across the clouds or from cloud to cloud. Other times a bolt of lightning would hurl toward the earth. There was very little sound because it was so far away but we stood still and watched it for several minutes. How amazing is our God who created the heavens and the earth, who creates us in His image, and who created the cloud, the wind, the lightning and the rain! I hope you will have times to be filled with awe when you see God’s wonder and glory in all His creation. – Neil Epler, Congregational Care Pastor