Wednesday, October 2, 2013

God's Mighty Power!

We had an amazing Youth Group night tonight! :) I really felt God's peace, and it really encouraged and uplifted me. I had a few thoughts on my mind that I wanted to share, so I am going to blog about it!
One thing to know before I start, is that I absolutely love Kari Jobe's song, "Revelation Song". To me, it has so much meaning, and gives me chills every time I listen to it (in a good way! ;) ) This, fortunately, was played by our awesome worship team, and I loved every minute of it!
A few lines really stood out to me, two of them being "Flashes of Lightning, Rolls of Thunder", and "Jesus, Your Name is Power" In the way it is sung, it is proclaiming God's mighty power, and his breathtaking works of art on the earth He has given us!
These lines made me remember a chapter of Psalms that is sometimes called "Psalm of the Thunderstorm". :) This Psalm reads:

"Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” "
 
~Psalm 29
 
This Psalm really emphasizes God's mighty power over the earth! A beautiful and admirable attribute to our powerful King of Kings! In the process of searching for this Psalm when I was reminded of it, I also came across another scripture that made me bear in mind an unforgettable experience I had with Danielle and my dad. :)
 
"When the waters saw you, O God,
When the waters saw you, they were afraid,
indeed the deep trembled,
The clouds poured out the water,
The skies gave forth thunder,
your arrows flashed on each side,
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind,
your lightning lighted up the world;
The earth trembled and shook"
 
~Psalm 77:16-17
 
Notice that I italicized "your lightning lighted up the world". This is the part of the verses that really stood out to me. :) All the verses really were about my experience, but for some reason, this one especially stood out to me. I'll clue you in on my story now. :)
One time there was a storm. The normal type of thunderstorm, with lightning and thunder (of course ;) ) and heavy rain. It was at nighttime, so the windows flashed and contrasted the dark outside.
After the storm had somewhat "passed" over us, we had strolled out to the deck to watch the lightning.
 The sky somehow "shone" a brilliant, deep, majestic purple, with black complimenting the ends of the sky. All around us, fluorescent lightning randomly emerged from the heavens, branching out and disappearing. But it wasn't a situation in which every once in awhile, a deep, thunderous roar would signal the approach of a single branch of lightning.
The night was silent, and the crickets were beginning to chirp again. It was still, but you could feel the energy of nature at the same time. All across the sky, lightning bolts continually flashed, as if God Himself was composing it. In fact, it was EXACTLY as if the Lord was putting on a beautiful show for us to enjoy His beautiful works. It was random, but at the same time... not... haha, if that makes sense.
 The silence and peace also added to the effect, and we all truly enjoyed it. We went inside before it ended, because just when it seemed like it would stop, it would continue stronger. My parents were worried about us getting shocked by lightning, and us staying up too late. I don't know how long it went on for, but it was still going on when I went to sleep. It was truly an amazing experience.
 
It astounds me, that a Creator so unique, and mind blowing would want to be with us and know us! :) That He would send His Son to die for us... and not only us, but for our sins.
So tonight I want to just take the time to thank our Lord for his stunning acts, and his desire to be with us, as sinning human beings!