He Makes His Presence Known

“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.”  Exodus 20:18
 
When we see lightning and we hear thunder, are they only to be associated with rain and thunderstorms?

​We usually associate thunder and lightning with rain and thunderstorms. In the Old Testament, God used thunder and lightning to speak and convey His presence (Exodus 19:19). We see this example before and after the Lord spoke the Ten Commandments to Moses. The children of Israel heard thunder and saw lightning flashing along with the mountain smoking and they trembled and stood at a distance (Exodus 20:18).

God is ever-present and all-powerful and throughout Scripture we read of the numerous ways that God makes His presence known. The children of Israel had various encounters of God demonstrating His presence and His power in miraculous and Divine interventions.

​The next time you hear thunder and see lightning, think about God who is making His presence and His power known to you, other believers, and to an unbelieving world. He is the same God who created the world in six literal days (Genesis 1-2), the same God who is completely holy (1 Peter 1:16), the same God who required a perfect sacrifice and sent Christ, who is the perfect sacrifice which satisfied and paid the penalty for sin (1 John 4:10), and He is the same God who will judge an unbelieving generation by His wrath (Romans 1:18; Romans 2:5).

​In light of this, not only is thunder and lightning our way of knowing that rain or thunderstorms are approaching, but it is also a time to reflect, acknowledge, revere, and honor the one true, holy, and all-powerful God who is still making His power and His presence known to all.