An Unlikely Instrument

I am a little tired this evening but I had some thoughts I wanted to get written down.  I pray I am able to make sense of them.

The other day my kids and I were traveling down to California from Oregon and as we were driving, we came into a lightening storm.  As we drove into the storm, my son told me about a little girl in his Sunday school class who told the class, "when you hear thunder, the angels are bowling and they are getting a strike."  I rolled my eyes at this story but then proceeded to tell them when I was a little girl, I used to tell people that thunder was the angels clapping their hands.  I know there is a scientific explanation for thunder but I like my story.  

But, telling that story to my children brought the Bible verse in Luke 19:40 to mind, "and he answering said to them, 'I say to you, that, if these shall be silent, the stones will cry out!'  

I used to sing a song in church that incorporated this verse and it went;

"Before the rocks cry out I just want to praise Him, just want to praise Him for all He's done.  Before all nature rises up to shout I just want to praise Him for all He's done for me."

Thinking about these words, I told my children that perhaps the thunder really is the angels clapping and maybe they are clapping and praising God because we aren't doing our job.  So, we decided that we should say, "praise God" everytime we see the lightening.  We continued to drive into a very large lightening storm and for an hour the kids tried to beat each other shouting out, "praise God" first at every flash.  It was a great time together.... one that I know I will always remember.  

But, of course, I am not stopping there....

I love what the Wesley Notes have to say about Luke 19:40 "If these (disciples praising Jesus) should hold their peace, the stones, which lie before you, would cry out - That is, God would raise up some still more unlikely instruments to declare his praise. For the power of God will not return empty." 

An unlikely instrument?  Perhaps  an unlikely instrument crying out from the earth such as thunder, a volcanic eruption, an earthquake..... aren't the rocks crying out more and more?  I think they are as our voices have grown silent.  We have become pressured beneath the load of the world instead of giving Him our burdens (Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.")  We have become embarrassed to speak out His name and we are treading on dangerous ground (Mark 8:38 "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.")

In this world with the trials we all face from day to day we have become those unlikely instruments.  People in the world cannot fathom the peace that passeth all understanding.  People in the world live within the dimensions that can be seen and felt and cannot understand how we can see the same picture yet envision a different outcome.  But, I live according to the promises in His word.  And that picture paints me praising God every second of everyday.  

Thank you Jesus for making me an unlikely instrument and for putting your praise in my mouth, your life on my lips and your power in my tongue.  When we see the awesome power of nature rising up..... let us be reminded that WE are to be that instrument of praise and we should have praised Him BEFORE the rocks cried out.