The Whirlwind And The Storm Display His Power

All day yesterday, Edmontonians received warnings of an impending severe thunder and lightning storm with high winds and possible tornadoes. Throughout the morning, the air was unusually still, hot, and humid, but with clear blue skies. By late afternoon, however, dark clouds could be seen far in the distance.

I ate supper early, them grabbed my camera to go for a walk, hoping to capture the approaching storm on flash chip. I asked my sons if they wanted to join me. They all refused. Even as I opened the front door to leave, I couldn't figure out why they didn't want to come. My husband, who was home because his truck broke down, tried to talk me out of going. He couldn't, of course, and so he eventually decided to accompany me. I guess he felt it was his duty to protect me from my own insanity.

As we walked along the street, I sensed an eery calmness. The air had not even the slightest breeze. However, this didn't stop me — it only motivated me more. There were no children playing outside, except for one yard where a mother was attempting to call in her children from the front door. She gave us a strange look as we passed, especially as she noticed my camera.

As we continued our walk, there were few signs of life. It reminded me of walking through a ghost town. The birds seemed to have disappeared. We met only one other (crazy) human who was out walking, but she was no relative of mine. I did spot one lone jack rabbit eating clover, though. To pass the time, I stopped to take a picture.

My husband, who was keeping an eye on the sky, pointed out the first large cloud of the forewarned storm. I swung my camera in that direction and quickly snapped a picture. The cloud was moving in at incredible speed, but, oddly, we felt no wind.

Then, within a split second, the wind hit us with a force we've never experienced. We both immediately turned around to get home as quickly as possible. The wind was so strong I couldn't even see forward without using my hands to form a protective cover over my eyes. Dust, dirt, and debris swirled in the air all around us. We were ten minutes from home when a man stopped his vehicle and asked if we needed a ride home. I, of course, said, "No, thank you." He saw the smile on my face and laughed.

When we finally got home, I paused by the door and tried one last time to see if I could spot a funnel cloud as it formed. I was surprised (and a little disappointed) to see not even one. Ten minutes later, I was even more surprised when the storm ended as abruptly as it had begun. There was no hail the size of golf balls, only a few unimpressive flashes of lightning and a few measly minutes of rain.

Soon after, my oldest son phoned me to tell me the storm warning had been dropped. I was quite disappointed. "Oh, well," I thought. "Maybe next time I will finally see and experience a real prairie storm, like the ones my dad used to tell me about when I was a girl growing up."

Storms have always excited me. Whenever I experience one, I sense God's presence. They never fail to display His mighty power, as well as His mighty protection.

"The Lord is slow to get angry,

but His power is great,

and He never lets the guilty go unpunished.

He displays His power in the whirlwind and the storm.

The billowing clouds are the dust beneath His feet."

Nahum 1:3 (NLT)