Job 37 describes Elihu’s reflection on God’s majestic power displayed in nature. He emphasises God’s control over storms, lightning, and the forces of creation, urging Job to recognise God’s greatness and respond with awe.
God speaks to us through Nature
In Job 37:1-5, Elihu describes the thunder as God’s mighty voice, reverberating across the heavens, demonstrating His immense power and majesty. He highlights the grandeur and awe-inspiring nature of God’s communication through thunder.
Elihu’s description of thunder as God’s voice emphasises the overwhelming strength and majesty of God. Clarke’s Commentary beautifully states that no natural sound better embodies God’s majesty than the thunder. It is a sound that captures the omnipotence and omnipresence of God. Thunder, unlike other sounds—such as the rustling breeze, the pattering rain, or the roaring lion—directly reflects God’s grandeur. It’s the sound that best expresses the majestic power of Jehovah.
In Psalm 29, we find a similar depiction of God’s powerful voice: Psalm 29:3-7 (NLT)
“The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with bolts of lightning.”
This passage reinforces the image of God’s voice as a force that commands nature, displaying His power and sovereignty. It echoes the description in Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT), which speaks of the heavens proclaiming God’s glory without words but with an undeniable message: Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT) “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.”
This reflects the idea that God’s communication is not limited to spoken words but is also expressed through the natural world. As Romans 1:20 (NIV) says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Creation itself speaks of God’s power and divinity, leaving us no excuse to miss His presence.
Nature keeps on speaking
Today, nature continues to speak to us of God’s greatness, urging us to listen and recognise His voice in the world around us. As we observe creation—the sky, the water, the trees, the animals—we are reminded of God’s majesty. Nature, in its quiet and powerful ways, still declares His greatness.
Mark Batterson asks, “Is God’s voice the loudest voice in your life? That’s the question. If the answer is no, that’s the problem.” We must make room for God’s voice, allowing His words to drown out the noise of our lives.
Eve M. Harrell expresses it: “God is my first Inspiration. I can look to all the things He created: the sky, the water, the flowers, the trees, the birds, a newborn babe, and in these things, I can hear His voice.”
Let us take time today to hear God’s voice through His creation and allow it to inspire us to recognise His power and majesty in every aspect of life.