Out of the Whirlwind
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?’” – Job 38:1
It was a morning of illusions. Trick mirrors cast deceptive reflections. I watched a tiny green and brown tree frog leap across my deck only to realize it was just a withered oak leaf cartwheeling in the wind. My cat nibbled at his food behind a large fern but as he scurried away the long rat-like tail that followed revealed the animal’s true identity—a baby opossum, seemingly unaware of his nocturnal nature.
I observed these occurrences while working at an outside table. I was writing about the wind. With lofty hyperbole I worked to capture an image of God. I thought I saw Him in the monarch rising and falling on the drafts and in the swaying blossoms of the buckeye tree. I was certain that I smelled His sweet fragrance swirling around me, that of honeysuckle and gardenias. Yes, God was in this place, revealing His love through the magnificence of His creation.
The crinkling sound of fine paper drew my attention to the table. The pages of my open Bible fluttered in the wind—the living, breathing, Word of God. I turned my gaze back to the screen of my computer, delighted with the metaphor. The pages fluttered again and a breeze of unease stirred my soul. I looked at my Bible and then at the place on the deck where I’d seen the “frog”. I stopped writing and prayed: Lord, I’m not seeing what I think I’m seeing this morning. What do You want me to see?
Unsettled, I walked back into the house.Within moments I found myself facing a nagging temptation. Such is human nature—marveling at the wonders of God one moment and tempted by the flesh the next. The problem was that I’d allowed this particular temptation to settle in for a few days. I’d actually entertained this rude intruder rather than immediately turning away. Oh, but how sin entices—another deceptive illusion.
I wandered back outside and felt more than saw a change in the wind. Something was different. The wind felt brooding and the sky seemed a trace darker. I listened. Where earlier I’d heard only the sounds of creation as the breeze rustled thousands of leaves overhead, now I heard sirens. Low and whining, the sirens came from all directions. The air was tinged with smoke. Three planes circled nearby, actually crossing our property at the farthest corner. I walked to a clearing where I observed the planes. I could see the markings of the California Department of Forestry on the underside of their wings. Smoke rose on the horizon.
The Spirit stirred my soul with words of knowing: His wrath is in the wind. And the words of Deuteronomy 4:24 came to mind, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” A solemn shroud draped itself across my soul as a prayer of repentance tumbled through my mind. God was indeed revealing His love through the magnificence of creation, but not in the way I’d first perceived. Instead, the wind carried the wrath of a jealous Lover. This God who will have no other god before Him burned as I allowed another to woo me while at the same time espousing words of grandeur about Him.
Like Job, God corrected me out of the “whirlwind.” I’d chosen to see only what I wanted to see. I’d written words that I wanted to read. I’d placed temptation in my pocket waiting for an opportune time to take it out and succumb to its allure. The fire in the distance had nothing to do with me. And it had everything to do with me. The smoke on the wind spoke of His power.
Mystified by this unfathomable God, I approached Him reverently, silently. I turned away from sin and turned back to Him. I saw what He wanted me to see rather than the illusions of my own mind.
I saw Love, fiery and passionate—a Love beyond my comprehension—a Love to be revered.
