When God’s in the Whirlwind

Nahum 1:3

BLOW THAT LAYER OF dust off the book of Nahum in your Bible and catch a glimpse of this:

He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm.

NAHUM 1:3

That’s good to remember when you’re caught in a rip-snorting, Texas frog strangler as I was last week. I reminded myself of God’s presence as the rain clouds were split apart by lightning’s eerie fingers and the ear-deafening claps of thunder. As I witnessed that atmospheric drama, I reminded myself of its Director, who was having His way in the whirlwind.

But how about those storms of life? What about the whirlwinds of disease, disaster, financial collapse, and an unexpected death? Well, if Nahum’s words apply to the heavenly sphere, they must apply to the earthly. The cast may be different, the plot may be altered, the props may be rearranged . . . but behind the scenes sits the Head, the Chief overseeing every scene of every act.

Ask the psalmist. He would answer:

Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.

PSALM 115:3

Moses nailed it down with his comment:

In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the LORD your God and listen to what he tells you.

DEUTERONOMY 4:30

Life is filled with God-appointed storms. But two things should comfort us in the midst of them. First, we all experience storms. Second, we all need them—God has few methods more effective.

Before the winds subside, why not ask God to have His way in your whirlwind and storm? The play is so much more enjoyable when the cast cooperates with the Director.

Devotional content taken from Good Morning, Lord . . . Can We Talk? by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2018. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved. The full devotional can be purchased at tyndale.com.

Posted in Crisis, Worry and tagged .

Accuracy, clarity, and practicality all describe the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll. Chuck is the chairman of the board at Insight for Living and the chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary. Chuck also serves as the senior pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, where he is able to do what he loves most—teach the Bible to willing hearts. His focus on practical Bible application has been heard on the Insight for Living radio broadcast since 1979.