Thunder, lightning and a thick cloud announced His presence: He is Holy

One of the places on my bucket list is the Middle East. I am still drawing a plan on where to start from. I want to visit those places in Biblical history. Some of the countries are now hostile to the faith and Christianity but I believe that in God’s own time and through our intercession, the Father will reconcile the nations back to Himself. Imagine undertaking a 11-day journey from Egypt to Canaan in 40 years? (Deuteronomy 1:2). The hearts of the people needed to be worked on and a nation was birthed that witnessed the extraordinary miracles of God. Today, we shall consider one of such amazing miracles and how God is revealed through the miraculous. Moses received the command to go and deliver the Israelites on Mount Sinai. Three months after the people left Egypt, they arrived at Mount Sinai. “The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.” (Exodus 19:9)

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. (Exodus 19:16)

It sounds cool right? God in all His radiance was coming down to meet the people and the people consecrated themselves in readiness. God is holy and His presence requires holiness. On the day of the meeting with the Lord, this happened:
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.” (Exodus 19:16‭-‬22)

What? This sounds like a very scary encounter. The presence of God was announced by thunder, lightning and a thick cloud. Imagine the loud trumpet blast, the smoke that covered the mountain and the mountain trembling violently. This does not sound like a place I want to be, but that was the mountains responding to the presence of the Holy God. Mount Sinai could not stand still, and the people trembled before God. The ten commandments were delivered from God to the people. What was the reaction of the people? “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” (Exodus 20:18‭-‬19)

Imagine if we had to stand before God each day with such a pomp and display of the miraculous? Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the ultimate arrival of the Holy Spirit, God now dwells in the heart of the believer. Yes, your body is the temple of God and God’s Spirit dwells in you and as such we should be Holy (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Remember, God might not be shaking your environment violently just to speak with you but His standard for holiness has not changed. If the mountains couldn’t stand His holy presence, can you stand His presence on that Day? 

Praise Him from the heavens and the heights

My first flight experience was very fascinating. I was so amazed looking down from the skies and seeing the earth so small and everything looking so tiny. The sky was so bright and the moon lighted the sky in all its radiance. The stars seemed far away as compared with the moon but I couldn’t miss their light as well. The heavens were indeed declaring the glory of the Lord. As I sat in my seat, I was filled with so much praise. As morning came, the clouds began their humble parade. One, two, three and a gazillion of clouds hanging up there with nothing holding them but they were so perfect. As we ascended higher, the very white clouds below looked like a uniformed army ready to take charge. And as we descended, the mountains showed up in their radiance. In the sky, the heights looked so small but getting closer, I could get a better glance at the magnificent peaks and the beautiful vegetation that are around the height. Indeed, God is the Master designer!

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. (Psalms 148:1)

I couldn’t help but to join the Psalmist to praise the Lord. Psalm 148 is a perfect praise for how I felt:
“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever— he issued a decree that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord.”

Whenever we are in doubt of the presence of a Creator, let’s consider the orderliness of creation. No automatic process could have been so smart to put everything where they need to be. The heavens and all that stay in the heavens are in the appropriate place. The fish is in the water, the animals are on land and some amphibians live in the water on the land. Imagine if humans were to live in water, we wouldn’t survive because our bodies are not fit for water living. We need special diving suits and oxygen tanks to go underwater for a while. No fish requires an oxygen supply down there! When astronauts travel to outer space, they have to wear a spacesuit and be in a spaceship because humans were not made for space. However the stars, the moon, the sun, the meteors comfortably hang up there because that is where they belong. God placed us exactly where we belong and that alone should cause us to give Him praise. Never wish you were anything else other than human, for if you were made a mosquito, you would probably have died on your first attempt to bite a human. Praise God for making you….you!