Pam Padgett ... teacher
A fire broke out just west of Colorado Springs recently. Although
I live several miles from the fire, I could see a huge column of smoke,
like a large cylinder going up into the sky, from my home just a few
hours after the fire began. I'm sure this was very frightening for
those who live near the fire, and that it would be for me as well. But
as I saw the smoke column from this distance, I marveled in God. As
I saw pictures of the massive fire burning thousands of acres
and heard that the wind caused this fire to move in three
different directions at the same time, I've had the same reaction ...
these things cause me to think of, and stand in awe of, God.
One evening I heard one of the news women comment about the power we are
witnessing in this fire. One of the news men started explaining this
away, but she again said something like "But there is so much power".
She may not understand that she is seeing the power of God, but she
seemed to realize that the power we are seeing can't be easily explained
with man's words. The following day I was reminded of the following ...
Psalm 148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: 8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: 9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: 11 Kings
of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: 12
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: 13 Let them praise
the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is
above the earth and heaven.
The fire, the wind, the trees as they burn ... all are praising God as
they do what God created them to do. God created fire to heat and to
burn things it comes in contact with. The trees burn when the fire
comes to them. The wind drives and fans the fire. All things are
working according to how God ordained. Even the mountain and hills,
which make it so difficult for man to try to stop the fire, fulfill His
purpose.
A few days after the start of the
fire it expanded very rapidly as strong winds drove the fire to a residential
area where hundreds of homes were destroyed.
Watching how quickly the fire moved and consumed homes, I was very shaken and asked God to
help stabilize me. I was again reminded
that the fire and wind fulfill God’s will…. Psalm 148:7 Praise the LORD from
the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: 8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour;
stormy wind fulfilling his word:
It was very calming to be reminded
that God is in control of all of this. To man it looked like the fire was
completely out of control ... and it was out of the control of man ... but
it was always under the control of God.
As I was thanking God for helping
me when I was so shaken, I recalled Like as a father pitieth his
children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. 14 For he knoweth our frame;
he remembereth that we are dust. (Psalm
103:13)
God knows how
easily shaken we can become, and He has pity on those who fear Him.
Because we fear Him, we turn to Him, and He has compassion on us and helps us,
knowing exactly what we need to be helped.
Also during this time I have heard people lamenting the "beauty" that is
burning. I was reminded that God created all things, including the
trees that make this area so pretty. Yet He has chosen for these to
burn. Man tends to hold onto "nature" as though it is
sacred ... worshiping the created rather than the Creator. But it is
God who is worthy to be praised.
When Job lost so many things … his oxen,
asses, sheep, camels, servants, sons and daughters … he worshipped God.
Job 1: 20
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon
the ground, and worshipped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's
womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath
taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22 In all this Job sinned not,
nor charged God foolishly.
And we know in the day of the Lord, all of this will burn ...
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
We are told to set our affection, not on things of the earth, but on
things above, seeking the will of God and to please Him as we walk on
this earth.
Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
(Comments by Joan Boney: Recently we had hail storms two nights in a row. The hail was probably golf ball size. It can do a lot of damage to the roof. But all I could think of is this: Hail is from God. And in spite of the damage it could do, I rejoiced.)