Above the Clouds

Bible

I am almost finished reading through the Old Testament, and I am still processing the prophetic book of Nahum.

Seriously, do you ever remember reading from Nahum?  Have you ever memorized a verse from this book?

Me either.  This isn’t my first trip through the Bible, and somehow I missed some things that now stand out to me:

Don’t you just love that?!

How does this happen? I know that I’ve read it before, yet it is like it’s brand new! God’s Word doesn’t change…

But I do.

As I grow older and have more of life’s experiences, my perspective changes.  Flying through the clouds on a plane thousands of feet in the air, not for the first time, and I am still amazed.  Amazed that it is even possible to fly hundreds of people inside this Boeing 777LR, traveling 8,433 miles between the two cities–consuming almost 40,000 gallons of fuel. “Meanwhile, when it comes to needing sustenance, the plane isn’t alone. On board this 16-hour-and-15-minute flight, passengers annually consume approximately 70,000 cans of soda, 100,000 bags of pretzels, 200,000 bags of peanuts, and a half-million pounds of ice.”  [USNews and World Report]

And that doesn’t even include the luggage for 291 passengers!

While this astounding feat happens every single day, we see the accomplishments of man–and neglect the overwhelming evidence of a creator-God.

And I am in awe.

Not just in awe of the clouds.  Or the ability He has given man to fly above them.

But by how His Word continues to impact my thinking.  How life-altering it can be to follow and heed–or not heed His Words.

Nahum was a prophet sent to the nation of Nineveh.  You might remember the story of Jonah (and how the city of Nineveh repented after Jonah eventually obeyed God).  Jonah stubbornly went there to warn them of God’s coming judgement–if they didn’t turn from their evil ways. Now, in a message sent through Nahum, God is reminding them that He demonstrated mercy the first time–but that evil and wickedness cannot go unpunished.

“The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished.”  Nahum 1:3

In a world that has come to believe that there are no absolutes, that right and wrong are relative, I can’t help but wonder what God sees when He looks at humanity today.  I would be distressed, except for the fact that I as I keep reading, this verse reminds me of the truth:

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; He cares for those who take refuge in Him.”  Nahum 1:7

Our hope doesn’t lie in politics or government or improved circumstances.  Our hope is in the One True God who says,

“Look to the mountains-the feet of one bringing good news and proclaiming peace!”  Nahum 1:15

Hope is found only in the God of heaven and earth, “His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.” 

This prophet, Nahum, may be warning a city long ago destroyed, but today He is reminding us that evil doesn’t win. Righteousness prevails. Holiness matters.  And God is still God.

And I am praying that we, as a nation, return to “One Nation, Under God.”

Doesn’t that just make you look at those clouds differently?

[For those of you following my Scripture Memory Challenge, you can choose which of these verses to memorize from Nahum.  I don’t think I will ever forget that first one, but I want to memorize them both! The first one is only a part of verse 3–so you will want to go look it up!]