5:39 AM
There's a large pasture behind our house, and beyond it are woods. if I'd lived in our current house when I were a kid, I'd have probably explored those woods non-stop.
This morning I woke up before sunrise and let Buddy the Christmas Puppy and his sister, Molly the Needy, outside to use nature as a potty. As I stood there, in the moderate darkness I heard a "whooshing" sound coming from the direction of the woods. It was like one of those big, industrial-strength metal fans they used to put in the gym on a day when the floor was wet so kids wouldn't slip and fall.
Though it sounded like heavy equipment, there is no business or industry in our area, so I reasoned that it couldn't be machinery. As I mused, I felt a few drops of rain begin to hit my arms, and I knew at that moment that I was hearing a downpour in the distance.
I was able to get the dogs inside before they got soaked, and as I sat down to read the Word, oddly, this passage was part of today's reading:
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
- Acts 2:1-6 (NLT)
Very cool. Nature gave me an illustration of what that may have sounded like. There were also a few other verses that this helped illustrate, such as the signs of the end of the age. When we hear the approaching storm and begin to feel drops, we can be sure that Christ's coming is at hand! The speed of the approach (how soon is "soon"?) is another matter, but we have no excuse for not being ready, or affording that opportunity to others.
This morning I woke up before sunrise and let Buddy the Christmas Puppy and his sister, Molly the Needy, outside to use nature as a potty. As I stood there, in the moderate darkness I heard a "whooshing" sound coming from the direction of the woods. It was like one of those big, industrial-strength metal fans they used to put in the gym on a day when the floor was wet so kids wouldn't slip and fall.
Though it sounded like heavy equipment, there is no business or industry in our area, so I reasoned that it couldn't be machinery. As I mused, I felt a few drops of rain begin to hit my arms, and I knew at that moment that I was hearing a downpour in the distance.
I was able to get the dogs inside before they got soaked, and as I sat down to read the Word, oddly, this passage was part of today's reading:
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
- Acts 2:1-6 (NLT)
Very cool. Nature gave me an illustration of what that may have sounded like. There were also a few other verses that this helped illustrate, such as the signs of the end of the age. When we hear the approaching storm and begin to feel drops, we can be sure that Christ's coming is at hand! The speed of the approach (how soon is "soon"?) is another matter, but we have no excuse for not being ready, or affording that opportunity to others.
