“Listen to this, Job: stop and consider God’s wonders.”
~ Job 37:14
Hi James and Ellen,
Go outside and look at the sky. If it is light outside and you can see the sky, you will see that the sky is colored blue. Sometimes there will be clouds in the sky. Sometimes there will be rain in the clouds. Sometimes you will see lightening flashing and hear thunder booming from the clouds. Your grandmaa and grandpaa like to see lightening and to hear thunder. Rain is good. Rain is needed for grass, flowers, trees and gardens to grow. Sometimes there is more than just rain in a cloud. Where your grandpaa grew up in eastern South Dakota, storms usually moved from the west to the east. It would get really scary at times watching angry, dark swirling clouds come closer and closer to the house where your grandpaa was living with his ma and dad. Sometimes a storm cloud would have a greenish looking tinge in it. This greenish color meant that there was hail in the cloud. Hail can get very large – sometimes as large as a baseball. Most of the time where your grandpaa grew up as kid the hail that fell was usually the size of a pea or a marble. No one ever wants hail to fall where they live. Hail can destroy crops. A storm can sometimes have very strong winds which can cause a lot of damage. One day while your grandmaa and grandpaa were in Argentina on a vacation trip, they watched a storm cloud develop over the ocean with a water spout coming out from under the cloud. Your grandmaa and grandpaa had walked to an inlet where your grandpaa could fish. When your grandmaa and grandpaa saw that the dark storm cloud was heading their way, they headed back to their hotel. Your grandmaa and grandpaa tried to walk fast against a wind that was getting stronger and stronger. A canoe that had been left on the beach was picked up by a gust of wind that sent it flying against a tree that was not very far from where your grandmaa and grandpaa were walking – completely smashing the canoe. Your grandmaa and grandpaa by this time had to walk backwards against the wind because the wind was blowing so hard. Rain began falling. The wind blew the rain against your grandmaa and grandpaa – soaking your grandmaa and grandpaa. This storm was not a big storm but it sure did scare your grandmaa and grandpaa. A storm sometimes has a tornado in it. Your dad one day was fishing with his ma and dad and with his grandma and grandpa at a lake in South Dakota called Lake Poinsett when he saw a tornado. Guys in a couple of boats saw that your dad’s ma and dad and grandma and grandpa were catching fish so they began to fish from their boats about a hundred feet or so in front of where your dad was with his ma and dad. While your grandpaa was looking at some clouds that were getting darker that were on the other side of Lake Poinsett, your grandpaa saw something come out of the cloud. It looked like a long white snake. Dust flew up everywhere when it touched the ground. Your grandpaa told his dad and ma what he was seeing. Your grandpaa also yelled out to the guys who were fishing in the boats in front of them that there was a tornado on the other side of the lake. What do you think the guys did? The guys reeled in their lines as fast as they could, pulled up their anchors and headed for shore. Your dad’s ma and dad and grandma and grandpa packed up all their things and left as fast as they could, too. Why? Tornados can be unpredictable. If the tornado had decided to cross the lake towards where your dad’s ma and dad and grandma and grandpa were fishing, it could have really hurt them.
If the sky is dark outside and if there are no clouds, you will see that the sky is colored black. You will see a lot of stars. You may even see the moon. Why do you think that the sky is blue during the day and black at night? It is a good question to ask your dad. If it is wintertime where the temperature has fallen below freezing, snow will fall instead of rain and lakes will become covered with a sheet of ice. What do you think causes water to become snow or ice? A guy by the name of Elihu – in Job 37, says that it is God’s breath that forms ice. Elihu also says that the flashes of lightening that you see have been released by God for you to see and that the thunder that you hear is God speaking. Elihu knows that God does things which you will never be able to understand. Why do you think that Elihu is saying all this? Elihu is talking to Job. Elihu is trying to help Job understand Who God is. Elihu thinks that God is punishing Job for one reason or another. Your grandpaa thinks that Elihu is right about what he says about the awesomeness of everything which God has created, how God is constantly in control of the things that He has created and how God is always using the things that He has created – such as rain and snow, to reflect His glory. Your grandpaa thinks that Elihu is wrong though thinking that God is punishing Job through the horrific things that happened one day to Job. Still – if you are not obedient to God, the consequence will be that you will lose blessings. If you are obedient to God, there is also an outcome – a good one, which will have you receiving blessings.
Your grandmaa and grandpaa have seen mountains which have been covered with snow and they have seen sunsets over oceans. Your grandmaa and grandpaa can attest to planet Earth being filled with wonders. Elihu is right when he told Job in verse 14 ‘“Listen to this, Job: stop and consider God’s wonders.” What are you thinking when you see a dogwood or a cherry tree or forsythia or an iris or a daffodil or another flowering plant or a bush or a tree showing off its blossoms? Spring is the time of the year which your grandpaa misses the most not living in Delaware while fall is the time of the year which your grandmaa misses the most not living in Delaware. Look at a painting that is hanging on a wall in your house. Do you see yourself in it? Now look outside. What do you see? What you see is like a painting. You should see yourself right in the middle of this painting that God is painting just for you.
Job 37 (33)