Break Open the Sky

I've never cared for stormy weather, never ever. Severe thunderstorms, tornado sirens blaring, green skies, unbelievable wind, torrential rain, huge hail ... I really do not like that kind of weather. I'll take bone-chilling cold or soaring temps any day over stormy weather. When I moved to Kansas over 20 years ago, I worried myself sick over living in "Tornado Alley." I grew up in Tennessee, and at least in my youth, the idea of a tornado in Chattanooga was unheard of ... not so much now, but when I was young, simply unheard of.

Last night in Kansas City, we had a doozie of a storm ... and I do mean doozie. High winds and hail the size of half dollars (some parts of town had tennis ball-size hail), nonstop lightning, rolling thunder and torrential rain ... I don't think I've ever seen a storm quite like that one. It was almost as if God just broke open the sky and said, "For all of you who doubt Who I am, let me show you what I can do." And even though my doggies were terrified ... well, the big dog Julie was terrified while the little dog Ollie just snuggled into my arms and slept ... and I was a wee bit scared myself ... well, a lot scared actually ... even in the midst of my fear, it was also kind of awesome to have a front row seat in witnessing God's power and might over the elements of the earth.

When we emerged from the basement (of course we high-tailed it to the basement) after the hail subsided, I stood at my sliding glass door with my dogs and watched the lightning flash across the sky. It was the kind of lightning that seems to have no beginning and no end, you know, the kind that is sort of one continuous flash. I'm not sure how long we stood there, Julie, Ollie and me, but I do know that I had one overriding thought running through my mind. One day ... one day ... one day, God is going to break open the sky and call His people home ... one day. As I watched the lightning cross the sky last night, I couldn't help but wonder if there will be lightning on that day that the Lord's people are caught up to meet him in the air. One day ... one day ... one day.

I've been listening to Toby Mac's newest album on my iPod a lot lately, and while all the songs are great, there is one that I listen to every day called "Break Open the Sky." The following lyrics were pounding in my brain last night during the storm. "Break open the sky. Won't You turn off gravity so we can fly? We wanna see Your face, so tear the roof off this place. Jesus, break open the sky."

I find it more than a bit interesting that this morning the roof on my house was still intact, but quite a few of my windows are broken ... shattered by the hail during the storm. And once again, a lesson from my Lord, a loud and booming lesson ... "I know your windows are shattered right now, Terrie, and the storm is intense. But my covering is over you. Even in the midst of the storm, I'm covering you."

My prayer all day today has been the closing words of the Toby Mac song ... "Come, Jesus, come. Come quickly. Come quickly. Break open, open the sky."