Awesome!

"For our God is a consuming fire."

-Hebrews 12:29

"It's a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

-Hebrews 10:31

"The Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, mighty and awesome . . ."

-Deuteronomy 10:17

"Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name--and his son's name? Tell me if you know!"

-Proverbs 30:4 NLT

What a great picture of the Awesome God we serve and know. Who else but God could do all this?

I have always been fascinated with idea of God holding the wind in his fists. Another reference is equally fascinating to me, "He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses" (Psalm 135:7). One of my favorite wind references is found in Psalm 104:3 where God, ". . . walks on the wings of the wind." I'm not sure why but that passage, to me, is a picture of the power of our Almighty God as even the winds submit to and honor him.

I have experienced wind before but never like I did when I pedaled my bike across North Dakota this summer. Before I arrived on what is called the High Plains of North Dakota, a bus driver in Missoula, Montana told me, "The wind up there blows in all directions, all day, every day!" He certainly was right about that. One day the wind would be my best friend, another day my worst enemy. Unpredictable, uncontrollable, and unlimited in power. Fields of wheat bow down to it. Flags fly straight out until the wind stops or changes direction. Hurricane winds level cities. Friend and foe alike depending on which way it blows and how strong, that's the wind.

Wind! We can't see it but we know it's there. It can cool us with a gentle breeze or kill us by flinging the neighbor's house at us. Who can tame it?

My God! He can hold the wind in his fists. With words or the movement of his almighty hand the winds can be made still and the seas calm. Remember the story in Matthew 8? Jesus and his disciples got into a boat and started across a lake. "Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!'

"And Jesus answered, 'Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!' Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. The disciples just sat there in awe. 'Who is this?' the asked themselves. 'Even the wind and waves obey him'" (Matthew 8:23-27)!

Guess what! This same Jesus loves us! The Creator of heaven, earth, wind, rain, and everything else loves us. The same hand that holds the wind holds us. We are so loved and should be so grateful. His awesome God of power, the God who could crush us, loves us, protects us, and provides for us. We know the Maker of the wind.

Who holds the wind in his fists? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name--and his son's name? Tell me if you know!"

Jesus.