Original Entry: November 17, 2008
McMinnville, OR
All the
people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the
trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a
distance. Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen;
but let not God speak to us, or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not
be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of
Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.”
Exodus
20:18-20
In 2006
James drew an Eastern Oregon Spring Bear tag. Not knowing the area, our routine
was to take the quads to a canyon, glass, and head home for breakfast. Afternoons were spent driving the quads
seemingly endless miles scouting the amazing canyons of the Hells
Canyon breaks.
Unknown to
us lightening storms are common in the spring time, but what we were in for
caught us totally off guard. On one of
our daily excursions we ventured twelve miles from camp when a nasty lightning
storm erupted. It was the first time I
had never seen hail stones the size of marbles! We pulled into a small juniper
grove for cover, built a make shift lean to from a small tarp we had.
After what
seemed like forever the hail relented temporarily and made a run for it. No sooner had we headed back when the storm
began to explode all around us. My
instincts told me to put the pedal-to-the-metal, holding James in the tarp I
wrapped around him and tried to navigate through the marble stones pelting my
head and face!
It was
surreal to say the least!
On the
final stretch the sky opened up revealing an ominous rainbow wrapped in black
as lightning began to strike at will, so close that the lighting and thunder
were simultaneous!
Their
unity was a horrifying display of fear and power.
I prayed
and pushed the pedal through the floor in a futile effort to out run the
explosions all around me.
In a flash
it could be over and for what? We hadn’t
even seen a bear!
When the
people see the awesome display of God,
“they stayed at a distance.” The church today is soft. It speaks a lot of
the needy God who desperately wants to be close to you. What about the
horrifying God who, when we realize Who we are dealing with, the only thought
is to get the heck out of the way!
Do not
simply revere Him but let the potential of what God is capable of change
you.
