A spectacular thunderstorm swooped over us during the middle of the night. It awoke Craig and I at the same time. Wordlessly we inched toward each other in the middle of the bed. He wrapped his arm around me, we listened, flinching with the strongest cracks. His first question was, “is Coco inside?” Yes. Then we both said at the same time, “I wonder if we should go check on Kira.” Two inches of rain soaked our area, Kira slept through it, and I was left wide awake for hours with a snoring husband by my side. I wondered what the horses in the stalls do during a storm like that. I imagined all their heads poke out and they look at one another for reassurance. There was probably some stomping, head swinging, noise, and tail swishing.
I personally love a storm. It feels like the voice of God to me giving the world a reminder of his power. I also hear the voice of God in the coo and gurgle of a newborn baby, a reminder of His gentleness, kindness, and creativity. Sincerely, the silence of a new blossom on a favored gardenia bush opening in the sun bursting with an intoxicating fragrance summons me straight to a prayer of gratitude, awe, and amazement. I need a lot of quiet time to be still and sense all forms of life around me. I can see God’s divine nature in all living things. As I enjoy a child, or an animal, or even a plant I know it’s useless to worship the creation, but so critically important to worship the Creator. I certainly wouldn’t want to mix the two up and have to answer God at the gate of heaven about it.
I think the perfect church sanctuary for me would be in a field where I could see mountains on one side, flowing water on the other, animals here and there, hearing bird song and sensing a gentle breeze. I’m fairly sure that’s when my heart cries the loudest in worship to God the father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. I don’t need an orchestra, high tech screens and lights. The crickets do it for me, and I really love the sound of a horse knickering. I’m sure the preacher could teach from the bible above these sounds, feed my soul with the nourishment it craves, and then send me home refreshed, renewed, reenergized, grounded, and sated.
God speaks to all of us in such personal ways and isn’t it beautiful when we hear HIS words.
By: donaldlatorre on May 6, 2012
at 7:49 pm