Barking At The Thunder
Isaiah 40:12-14, 25-31
12. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? 13. Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor has instructed him? 14. Whom did he consult for his enlightenment, and who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
25. To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing. 27. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hid from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God"? 28. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. 29. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31. but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
As I shared yesterday, I overslept a full hour. This morning, however, God felt I needed to “make up” that time with Him, apparently. Most of those in the greater Richmond area are probably not aware of the exact time the cold front/lightning & thunder moved through their neighborhood. Over our neighborhood it was 4 am. I know this because one of our dogs, Bingo, barks at the thunder!
He has a “special” bark. One that is unique to thunderstorms. I couldn’t go back to sleep when I heard him barking this morning. Jim let him and our other dog, Gracie, outside, hoping that if Bingo saw that everything was alright, he would be quiet. (Or maybe he was hoping that he couldn’t hear him as well if he put him outside!) Bingo has a special relationship with God. When we got him from the pound, as a tiny puppy, the vet told us he was pretty sure he had distemper and we needed to put him to sleep. But Bingo was Jeffrey’s 4th birthday present! And that was NOT going to happen! I spent almost a full month, lying on the floor of our family room, stroking Bingo’s head and praying that God would let him live. Bingo did have distemper, but he is now 12 years old! And we can always tell when a storm is moving in – even when it’s still miles away – because Bingo barks his special “thunder bark.” This morning as I sat on my back porch, hoping I could keep him quiet until a more reasonable hour (5:30?!) I wrapped myself up and got an early cup of coffee. The storm passed through, but Bingo kept barking periodically – even after the storm had moved out – 10 or 12 miles away!
It occurred to me this morning that Bingo is praying! That special bark is his prayer! Remember I said that bark is unique to thunder booming! He was talking to God! His own special language and connection!
Naturally I thought of Psalms and all the beautiful narratives of God’s creations, but ultimately found myself in Isaiah—and realized God intended to comfort me this morning. He intended to reassure me that He is in control of not only the thunder and the lightning and the rain, but of my life and everything in it. The last couple of days I have felt as if I were not in control of my life. And of course, God is reassuring me that I am not! HE IS! And I sat on my back porch this morning and soaked in the damp and the pre-dawn chill and watched as the sky became a tiny bit brighter with each passing moment. And I felt God’s presence. I wanted to join Bingo in a bark/prayer of thanksgiving to God for stooping to comfort such as me.
I hope you feel God’s presence in your life today. When you look up at the sky, know that God is in control of every cloud and raindrop and every moment of your existence.
Mary
