“The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.” – Psalm 29:4

For my personal devotions, I’m currently reading through the Psalms. Yesterday morning, I found myself in Psalm 29. It’s an absolutely stunning psalm in which David praises the God of Heaven for His power and glory that is manifested, not just in natural beauty, but also in thunderstorms and other natural disasters.

Kind of a strange concept, isn’t it? I mean does God really reveal His glory in something as scary as a thunderstorm? Does God really reveal His glory in something as devastating as a natural disaster? As I was reading that morning, I pondered these words from Psalm 29:9, “The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare…” Wow! The same God who allows the fawn to be born into the forest is the same God who allows the habitat of that same fawn to be devastated by a natural disaster. As crazy as it seems, the text of Psalm 29 seems to reveal that God’s power and glory are revealed, not just in natural beauty, but in natural disasters as well.

After contemplating this stunning text of Scripture for a few more minutes, I bowed in prayer: “Father God,” I said, “thank you for your Word and for the truth contained in it. Please help me to understand this particular truth about your power and glory being revealed in storms…in Jesus’ name…Amen.” A traditional devotional followed by a traditional prayer…or so I thought. Little did I know that God, in response to my prayer, would help me to understand this powerful truth by means of sending to me a powerful storm.

That very evening, Washington County received two tornado warnings followed by two strong thunderstorms. During the second storm, Lance (our Summer Intern) who was traveling home from work, had his Ford F-150 pushed into a ditch (off a gravel road) by sheer force of the powerful winds that contained gusts up to 70 mph. He was stranded and needed help, so I drove out to his location.

As I drove out to pick him up, my vehicle was pelted by blinding rain and strong hail. I could see practically nothing. I had to slam on my brakes a few times because of downed trees and other debris that was on the road. The storm was extremely intense. I was extremely scared. I definitely prayed a few passionate prayers en route to pick up Lance.

Thankfully, I was able to find Lance in the storm, and though he was pretty shook up, he was unharmed in the incident and his truck sustained no damages. “What a way to begin your internship,” I said. He gave a sheepish, glad-to-be-alive grin. Undoubtedly, this was one of the scariest storms Lance or I have ever experienced…

But do you know what came out after this storm? The sun! A beautiful, gorgeous sunset. It was just so incredible that something so beautiful could be preceded by something so scary. You know what else came out after this storm? Biblical Community. That’s right…Klint and Dillon Gingerich came out with their powerful truck to get Lance’s truck out of the ditch. In fact, as Dillon was getting back into his truck, Lance thanked Dillon and said, “Biblical Community, eh?” Dillon smiled. But do you know the greatest thing that emerged from this storm? Glory! God’s great glory in Him showing us His strength (Psalm 29:1) and God’s great glory in Him giving to us strength to get through a demonstration of His own strength (Psalm 29:11). What an incredibly enlightening lesson on the power and glory of our great God!

Yes, God is a God of great glory. His voice is powerful and full of majesty in both beauty and disaster. So, what should be our response? Worship. “Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness” (Psalm 29:1-2). Why? Because “the LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever” (Psalm 29:10). Thus, may “in His temple all cry, ‘Glory!'” (Psalm 29:9).

This Sunday, May 14th, begins our Summer Intern’s 12-week internship at Prairie Flower Baptist Church! Our Intern this year is Lance Lewis and he has just completed his sophomore year at Faith Baptist Bible College (FBBC). This internship is a part of his pastoral training requirements at FBBC and we are most privileged to have him on the Prairie Flower Team this summer. In fact, Pastor Jon and I are very excited at the opportunity to mentor, coach, and train a future fellow pastor. As our Summer Intern arrives (and even as his internship plays out over the summer), please consider doing the following to help him in his endeavors to be a future pastor:

1. Pray – The most effective thing you can do to help mold and shape our Summer Intern is to pray for him. Pray that God would strengthen and empower him to do the work that he’s been given to do. Lance will be very busy this summer as he preaches, teaches, attends meetings, goes on visits, and basically is immersed in the full-orbed life of being a pastor. Pray that his calling to pastoral ministry is strengthened and solidified as he journeys with us this summer.
2. Encourage – Lance will be (most of the time) outside of his comfort zone this summer. He will be stretched in unique ways and will be doing many things that he has never done before. All of this will make his internship exciting and exhausting. Thus, encourage our Intern verbally, or by way of written note or email, or even by just baking him some cookies or a pie. Our Intern will need much encouragement as he engages in pastoral ministry this summer and it should be a delight to give him this much needed encouragement.
3. Critique – Yes, you read that correctly. Critique. But be sure that your critiques are constructive in nature and not cutting and demeaning in nature. Lance welcomes your thoughts and suggestions in terms of sermon improvement, pastoral care improvement, and leadership skills improvement. Be sure to offer insights, feedback, and manageable goals for him to work towards. This internship is meant to set him up for great success as a future pastor. So, all of your loving critiques would be greatly appreciated.
4. Invite – Lance will be with us from May 14 – August 6. During this time frame, we would encourage you to have him in your home for a meal. There is a sign-up sheet located in the church foyer and we encourage you to sign up to host Lance in your home. This is a great way for you to connect with our Summer Intern and to get to know him better. Personally, I think you will really enjoy getting to know Lance, his background, and his future goals.

Prairie Flower, it’s a privilege to have a Summer Intern. Let’s be sure to treat him right and welcome him warmly. As he ministers among us, be sure to pray for him, encourage him, lovingly critique him, and invite him to your home. All of this (by God’s grace) will play out for Lance’s good, our good, and God’s great glory.

Last Sunday, we discussed the authority, power, and beauty of our verbally inspired Bible. It was my hope and prayer that God would begin to stir (or stir once again) within your heart and mind a great love and admiration for the Sacred Text. This continues to be my hope and prayer. May we all be able to say, as the psalmist once said, “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97).

Below is an excellent video that answers a very general, but important question: What is the Bible? I would encourage you to watch this with your kids (or grandkids) during your own Family Worship Time. Enjoy!