Friday, July 1st - 10:52pm
Sitting down in front of the computer, I proceed to log on to Weather.com to check various forecasting for the night, the weekend, and the week to come. To my surprise, a severe weather alert pops up in the feed - Thunderstorms and high winds expected for the area in the immediate future. My curiosity is sparked as I continue on to examine a radar-loop tracking the expected path of a highly developed storm cell.
A couple of the best words that I can use to describe what I saw are 'purely amazing'. The storm cell was a long, thin storm spanning almost the entire length of the state of Wisconsin North to South. What made the band even more interesting was the fact that there was barely any moderate-light weather within the storm - It was almost all extremely severe weather. Another thing to mention is the fact that the storm was only predicted to be a moderate/light intensity weather event just hours beforehand.
Without notice, and without much warning, the storm gathered a shocking amount of energy and speed.
Within minutes, signs of its arrival were visible outside of my cabin.
I gazed out of my screen door into a peaceful, dark expanse of forest. The thing that then shocked me was what came to follow - The most spectacular light show I had ever seen.
The night sky in the distance became lit up with hundreds of flashes ranging from large to small. At first, it seemed like someone was having a large fireworks show miles away, but it then became much more fantastic than just a fireworks show. It was as if the entire western sky became filled with a giant strobe light (one of epic proportions to any house or club party that I have seen!).
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A serious sort of fear arose inside of me - I retreated from being outside in the midst of nature, to the walls and roof of the cabin. Remaining in the doorway for a while, I continued to listen and watch intently.
Then, in the distance, I heard what sounded like a massive tree cracking, snapping, and falling followed by a heavy thud in the woods as it hit the ground. Moments later, a similar event could be heard to the South. To my surprise, five minutes later, a large branch snapped off of a maple tree in the yard and landed just thirty feet from my doorway.
At this point, the accompaniment of rain was introduced.
Being later in the evening now, I decided to close the doors and windows of the house, sealing us inside of shelter to wait out the weather event. I had experience enough of the storm for the night - Off to a warm bed and sweet dreams while nature's fury raged on the outside.
A couple of days later, after cleaning up several downed trees and discarding many branches and sticks, this scripture was presented to me by my sister who had ran across it during her devotionals. I hope you find it equally as fascinating as I did, and that you also see some stark similarities relating to my observation of the storm on Friday night.
Psalm 29
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Feel free to share any observations or comments that you may have.
This natural event was a fascinating experience for me; Have you ever experienced anything in nature that inspired a similar, awestruck reaction in you also?
Great post AJ, and that is the perfect Psalm to go with it! I've had many similar experiences like this in nature.... little glimpses, just glimpses, of God's might!
Oh how mighty and awesome and powerful and we absolutely have to hold nature, God's hand, in total respect as he voices Himself in the thunder and lightning. And, yes, we retrieve to the safety of our shelters because He is sooooooo powerful. I love to hear Him speak in His thunder and see Him in His lightning. God is amazing.