"STORMY WIND FULFILLING HIS WORD."
IN a psalm of praise, we read (Ps. 148:7, 8, R. V.):—
"Praise the Lord from the earth,
Ye dragons, and all deeps;
Fire and hail, snow and vapor;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His Word." The margin reads for "dragons," "sea monsters, or waterspouts." Spurrell renders, "hissing waves," and for "stormy wind," "the whirlwind acting at His command;" Young's translation is similar. This scripture comes forcibly to mind as news of the work of the almost daily cyclone or tornado come to us. In them we surely have the "waterspouts," and the "whirlwinds." And these also fulfil His Word. Many centuries ago God declared that the earth should wax old through the burden of sin resting upon it; that the weaknesses and breaking down of age would be visible even as in an old garment; that the reserved treasures of wind and hail would in the last days be let loose, and spread destruction and desolation. The waterspouts and whirlwinds are meeting the predictions, are fulfilling His Word, and thus are praising Him. But does God cause all the destruction and desolation, wrought by the fearful potencies of earth and air? Is He responsible for loss of life and property? Not at all. All the evil of storm and tempest and whirlwind is wrought by "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." He it was that brought destruction to the house of Job's son (Job 1:12, 19), and that roused the fearful tempest on Galilee to destroy the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 8:24). Conquering the prince of this world—Adam—Satan controls its elements, over which Adam was given dominion. But God designed that all the elements of the universe should work out only life and blessing to all His creation. Working in harmony with the perfect laws of His plan, that would have always been the case; for His law is perfect. "The commandment" "was ordained to life," and the inherent power of God in His law would forever have borne the fruit of life in all His creatures. But Satan perverted that law. He perverted the power of God in everything that is subject to his will. God designed the perfect circulation of earth's moisture; Satan perverted it to evil ends, and we have frost and snow, and ice, and hail. God designed that balmy fragrant-laden breezes should softly fan the earth and its people; Satan has perverted them into winds and storms and tempests, and tornadoes. Nevertheless, the power is originally of God. The beneficent river, turned from its channel, brings destruction to property and loss of life. The current of electricity in normal operation does no harm; but perverted, strikes dead him who rashly or carelessly turned it aside. The power is in the river and the electric current, placed there by the word of God; but its perversion is not of God. The power is in the air and wind and the elements of earth, but the perversion of that power is of Satan and his demons, whom we may easily imagine hold high revel in the work of destruction. The devilish malignity, manifested in, and the wonderful and miraculous feats performed by, these monsters of the air show them to be controlled by some masterful intelligence of evil, oftentimes restrained and controlled by a yet higher Power. When a whole forest is laid waste and a tent in the very midst of that forest is left unharmed even to its loosest thread, it certainly shows that some power had built a wall around the tent which the storm demon could not penetrate. When a whole family except a babe is dashed to destruction, and the babe is carried some distance and deposited on the earth without harm, it reveals an intelligence and power beyond the storm. When, a mile from where it started, a thin steel knife is hurled into an underground cellar, just missing the head of a man, with force sufficient to bury it in the hard earth wall, an intelligence and power is revealed greater than mere wind. These are only few instances of many which illustrate the working of the prince of "the power of the air" and his myriads of angels or demons. And yet, over it all is the power of God. Even the wrath of men and demons shall praise Him, and the remainder of the wrath, that which will not redound to His praise, will He restrain. With the knowledge of such a malignant power, it is good to know that we can hide in One whose power is greater. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust; His truth shall be thy shield and buckler."