^{But the thunder of his power who can understand?}

Job 26:14b

Does thunder lull you to sleep, or does it jolt you awake? Both happened to me, just yesterday. This is my tale of 17 hours, and two strikes.

Strike #1: Welcome to the Rumble

It was sometime before 8am yesterday that I heard the rumble of distant thunder. It came through my window about the same time as the garbage truck rolled through the neighborhood. It took me a second to tell one sound from the other, actually, but once I was locked in on the thunder, I laid back in bed and just luxuriated in the sound.

There’s something about the gentle roll of thunder that comforts me to no end. It’s like God’s voice speaking deeply and tenderly, a sound of presence and protection broadcasting down through the clouds. I was a little late for work, but it was worth the deep peace of those few moments.

Strike #2: Thunderstruck

At 1am I was deep in dreamless sleep. And then…

BAM!

I can’t express how loud this bolt of lightening was. It was instantaneous, and turbulent. It seemed to hit right outside my bedroom window, only feet away.

“Oh My God!” The words were ripped from my throat as I jolted upright in sudden awareness. My hand gripped my chest, as if staving off a heart attack. The sound and lightning were both gone as quickly as they had come, but I was frozen in place for 5 minutes, shaken to my core.

Was this blast like God’s voice, too? There was nothing tender or protective happening here. This blast was deep, but hardly peaceful. Sometimes God erupts into our midst, yanking us from our slumber, grabbing our attention, requiring our immediate alertness.

How have you heard God as a gentle voice? As a shout of warning? I’ve heard some of both, even on the same day! Yup, 17 hours, and two strikes. Both were reminiscent of God’s presence. Sometimes God calls us to rest, and sometimes God calls us to action.

We’ve all likely heard the cacophony in the skies and wondered what it means. Maybe, as some have suggested, it’s just God bowling with the angels.

If that’s the case, I can attest…

God just made two strikes!

Have a great week,

Mitch