ON THE WINGS OF THE STORM

*O worship the King,

All glorious above.

And gratefully sing

His power and His love.

Our Shield and Defender

The Ancient of Days,

Pavilion in splendor

And girded with praise.

O tell of His might,

O sing of His grace,

whose robe is the light,

whose canopy is space.

His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form.

Dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

        One day in Heaven at the throne of God, surrounded by vibrant colors like a rainbow, angels of the Heavenly court presented themselves to God.  Satan the Accuser came with them, no doubt to point out the faults of God’s children on earth.

            However God beat him to the draw, “So Satan,” God said, “have you seen my servant Job?  He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless, a man of complete integrity.  He fears Me and stays away from evil.  Period, no swaying.  No walking the fence.  No compromise. No toe dipping into sin.”

How could Satan contradict such a statement from the Creator?  So the great Accuser uses a different slant, “Yes but Job has good reason to fear You.” He whines.  “You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property.  You have made him prosper in everything he does.  Just look how rich he is!”  Satan rolls his eyes.  “But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” His lips curl in an evil sneer.

“Ok,” says God, “Go ahead and test him, do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically. And we’ll see what he does.”

Of course God knew what Job would do, or He wouldn’t have given Satan permission to test him.

So Job, who had everything he needed or wanted, who respected God and served Him with a singular purpose, who even prayed for his children and offered burnt sacrifices for them just in case they might sin, was going about his business one fine sunny day, when a storm swept in and blind-sided him.

A messenger came running up to his house and burst in the door shouting,  “Your oxen were plowing with the donkeys feeding beside them and the Sabeans raided us.  They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands, except for me.”

The wind blasted against the house.

While he was speaking another messenger ran up and said between gasps, “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds.  I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

Thunder rumbled.

While Job sat wide-eyed and speechless another man burst into the house and gasping for breath he said, “Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants, I am the only one who escaped.”

“Oh no!” Job exclaimed, clenching his fists.

Black clouds rolled over the sun and the earth plunged into darkness.

As if that wasn’t bad enough news to get all at once, yet another man ran into the house, his face was white, and he staggered as he stopped before Job.

“All your children were feasting in your oldest son’s home and suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides.”

Lightening, swift and blinding, struck.

“The house collapsed and all your children are dead.  I am sorry, so sorry, I am the only one who escaped.”

The wind roared, like a hurricane and it knocked Job to the ground.  Job’s muscles had no strength.  His breath was taken from him.  Shock numbed his body and mind.  He clutched his chest because of the great pain there.

However, Job did an amazing thing.  In the midst of the storm Job reached out to God.  He worshiped his Lord.

“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave this earth.  The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away.”

While the storm raged, while the wind tore at the trees threatening to uproot them, while the rain pounded the house, while the lightening struck, while the thunder pealed, Job said, “Praise the name of the LORD!”

Storms can hit quickly in our lives.  Suddenly the black clouds are roiling and boiling above our heads.  Blinding lightening strikes towards the earth.  Thunder rolls across the sky shaking the ground.  The powerful wind blasts against us knocking us to our knees.  Rain pounds on our heads threatening to drown us.

One phone call and our world is turned upside down.  In one instant our lives are changed forever.  One blinding lightening strike and our days are roiling with trouble. The storm is fierce.  The thunder booms and shakes our existence.

It seems I am alone in the darkness.  Where is God?  I can not feel His presence anywhere?  When the wind buffets my body and the rain stings my face, I feel as if I am completely alone in the storm.

As Job says, “I go east, but He is not there. I go west, but I cannot find Him.  I do not see Him in the north, for He is hidden.  I look to the south, but He is concealed.

But He knows where I am going and when He tests me I will come out as pure as gold.”  Job 23:8-10

Do not fear!  God is on the wings of the storm!  He doesn’t come behind the storm.  He isn’t only in the middle of the storm, no He comes before the storm.  He is on the wind that ushers in the roiling storm.

God had taught Job to trust Him.  He trusted God even when his whole life, including his health, had fallen apart. Somewhere along the line, God had instilled in Job an unswerving desire to follow Him with everything he had.  Job had integrity on his side.

God prepared and sent to Job three friends, actually there were four.  They sat with him for 7 days on the rubbish heap, in all kinds of weather and said not a word.  Now that is support!

Later when they opened their mouths, they were not so supportive.  They accused Job of sinning but you see because of his upright walk, he knew he was right with God.  He knew God was not punishing him.  He knew there was some other reason for his trials.  He knew God had something to teach him.  So in the storm and darkness, Job sought God.  Job reached for the Light.

Our God is on the wings of the storm. He comes before the storm, shutting the hatches, buttoning up our lives, preparing us for the storm. He knows how much strength we will need and He gives it. He knows what kind of support we need and He makes sure it is there in our lives.  He knows the physical and financial needs we will have and He provides them.  Before the storm ever darkens the sky.

God speaks to Job from the whirlwind.  Not the sunshine.  Not the warm pleasant days. Not a nice laid back afternoon while he was fishing beside a quiet stream, but out of the swirling, whirling, blasting wind came God’s voice.

“Where were you, Job, when I laid the foundations of the earth?  Tell me, if you know so much.  Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line?  What supports its foundations and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain?  Can you make the lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct?  Who gave intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind?  Who is wise enough to count all the clouds.  Who can tilt the water jars of heaven when the parched ground is dry and the soil has hardened into clods?” Job 38:4-7, 34-38 NLT

You see God is the wind that tells the storm where to go.  He is the lightening striking where He desires.  He is the rain that waters the parched ground.

He is not surprised by the storm, He is in the storm.  He knows the storm is coming. He orchestrates or allows the storm to come into our lives. He knows the testing we are about to have.  He knows how much we can endure.  He has a reason for the storm.  He is making our arms strong to bend a bow of bronze and our feet like the feet of deer so we can walk on the high places.  He measures out the exact amount of training that we need.

He is the sun that shines after the storm.  And the storm will pass.  The sun will shine again. It always does.

When Job prayed for his friends,  the Lord restored his fortunes.  In fact the Lord gave him twice as much as before! And he lived 140 more years to see his children’s children and many more generations.  (from Job 42:10)

When the thunder crashes, when the lightning strikes jagged across the sky, when the wind roars, He is there.  He is in the midst of the storm.

You may fall to the ground in your shock and weakness, but turn to Him.  Worship Him.  Praise Him.  Lean on Him.  Trust Him.  In the dark storm, seek the Light.

*Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?

It breathes in the air, it shines in the light.

It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain.

And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, feeble and frail.

In thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail.

Thy mercies how tender!

How firm to the end!

Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.  Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

Be still and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us!  The God of Israel is our fortress!” Ps. 46:1-3, 10-11

“You are my King and my God!  You command victories for me (Israel).  Only by Your power can we push back our enemies.  Only in Your name can we trample our foes.

I do not trust in my bow.  I don not count on my sword to save me.  You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies.  You disgrace those who hate us.  O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise Your name.” Ps. 44:4-8

“All praise to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

He comforts us in all our troubles!  So we can comfort others when they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with His comfort through Christ.

We are crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure and we thought we would never live through it.  In fact we expected to die.  But as a result we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God who raises the dead.

He did rescue us again.  We have placed our confidence on Him and He will continue to rescue us!”  2 Cor. 1:3-5, 8-10

Story from Job

*”O Worship the King” by Robert Grant (good on u-tube by Chris Tomlin)