Dog and Pony

Tampa is the lighting capital of the world. So it's not uncommon to see a heat lighting storm from you backyard. Last night I witnessed by far the most beautiful storm. It was dark, so dark you couldn't tell if there were clouds out, except that you couldn't see a star in the sky. It was a cool night for July in Florida. There was no moon. 

And then you see it. A flicker of brilliant light. Then the night it dark again. Then again, the sky is lit up almost completely by one flash amidst the darkness. And again, and again. And in those moments, things above are seen clearly. The clouds are no longer camouflaged. You see the darkness for what it is. But in the in-between moments, I found it hard to believe the details could possibly be seen; the sky was too grand, too dark to be overcome. 

So I find myself with a new friend on the roof of a USF parking garage, just watching it play out. It was like nothing I had seen before. The majesty of God's creation, so magnificent. There was no rain below the billowing cloud; it was as if God just wanted to display His glory just to display it. 

Then along the skyline we hear a noise, somewhat of a loud, rude noise compared to the silence of the lighting. A way's away is Busch Gardens. They were putting on a fireworks show. I can imagine if I had been at the park watching, it would have been so nice, and seeing how the Fourth was not too long ago, I was still fascinated by fireworks to a point. But this night, this quiet, brilliant night, it was out of place. 

This juxtaposition was so astounding. On the one hand, you had this beautiful, terrifying storm; so huge you could see it for miles and miles. And on the other you had this somewhat terrific and bright show. But it was so small compared to the cloud, especially being outside of it all. Up close on the ground it was probably entrenching to witness. 

I see how as man do this often in life. We try to put on enticing dog-and-pony shows to display how awesome we are, how we don't need God, how we can make it on our own. Then God comes along and shows the hilarity of our efforts. His Son completely blows out best efforts out of the water. We need to make noise to be heard. And what we have to say isn't worth speaking. But God need only be seen to be heard. His breath is in every little minute thing. And it is breathtaking. The heavens do indeed declare the glory of the Lord.