When clouds clap and snowflakes dance, creation's throwing a praise party.
Welcome to episode three of Lifespring Media's Verses We Missed. Podcasting since 2004,
I'm your host, your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. If you've been here before, thanks for coming back.
If you're new, I'm so glad you joined us. This is the show where we rediscover the quiet,
overlooked and surprising passages of Scripture, the ones that hide in plain sight. Each week,
we'll slow down and explore one verse or a small passage that's easy to skip, yet rich with meaning.
Whether it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment or a hidden treasure buried in the Old or New
Testament, these verses still speak if we're listening. If you love the Bible and want to
see it with fresh eyes, this is the place to be.
This week are verses from Psalm 148, verses 7 and 8.
I chose these verses because many of us are entering a time when the weather can be very changeable.
Maybe some of you are already experiencing that.
Here where I live in Southern California, it's getting downright cold at night.
The low tonight is expected to be all the way down to 52 degrees Fahrenheit.
That's about 11 degrees Celsius. Okay, so those of you in colder areas don't hate me, all right?
But you understand what I'm saying. The weather in the Northern Hemisphere is changing,
and for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, it's changing for you in the exact opposite
direction. Let's take a look at Psalm 148 before I focus on our two verses, beginning at verse 1.
Here we go. Psalm 148. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens. Praise Him from the skies.
Praise Him, all His angels.
Praise Him, all the armies of heaven.
Praise Him, sun and moon.
Praise Him, all you twinkling stars.
Praise Him, skies above.
Praise Him, vapors high above the clouds.
Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for He issued His command, and they came into being.
He set them in place forever and ever.
His decree will never be revoked.
Now, here's our focus verses.
Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and
clouds, wind and weather that obey Him.
And then we continue.
Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, small
scurrying animals and birds, kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of
the earth, young men and young women, old men and children.
Let them all praise the name of the Lord, for His name is very great.
His glory towers over the earth and heaven.
He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones, the people of Israel, who are
close to him.
Praise the Lord.
I mean, come on, after hearing that chapter, how can you not praise the Lord?
Beloved, may I suggest that you make it a point to mark that as a go-to when you're
feeling down?
Psalm 148.
Okay, so let's look for some hidden treasure now, shall we?
Psalm 148 invites us to look again at the world around us, not as background noise, but as
a choir of worship.
Thunder isn't just rumbling, it's rejoicing.
Every gust of wind, every flake of snow, every flash of lightning is part of a cosmic celebration.
When we learn to hear that music, our own worship changes.
Today we'll uncover how weather itself declares God's glory and how tuning into nature's
praise can recalibrate our hearts to sing along. Let's look again at verses 7 and 8.
Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths,
fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey Him.
Well, when the writer wrote this psalm and when the Israelites sang it, they weren't just praising
God with their voices. They were calling on all creation to join in. The heavens, the stars,
the mountains, the animals, and yes, even the weather. It's easy to think of weather as random,
unpredictable, or even bothersome. But Psalm 148 says otherwise. The stormy wind fulfills and obeys
His word. Every drop of rain and bolt of lightning moves at God's command. Creation doesn't resist
God's authority. It reflects it. Fire and hail, snow and mist, these are not accidents of atmosphere.
They're instruments in the orchestra of creation.
When the wind howls, it's not chaos.
It's choreography.
When weather rolls, it's not noise.
It's a drumbeat in a greater rhythm of praise.
Think about that.
What if the very things we complain about, the gloomy skies, the storms that cancel plans,
well, maybe they're actually moments of praise we've failed to notice.
The next time rain hits your window or wind shakes your trees, don't rush to close it out.
Pause and listen.
All of creation is doing what it was made to do, glorify its creator.
And you and I, we get to choose whether to join in.
So when you see clouds rolling in, remember, they're not rebelling, they're obeying.
And maybe that storm outside is an invitation, a reminder that every season, every change,
every gust of wind fulfills His word. When clouds clap and snowflakes dance,
creation's throwing a praise party. The psalmist wasn't being poetic for poetry's sake.
He was describing reality. Every part of creation is tuned to the same key of praise.
The waves don't need reminding to crash in rhythm. The wind doesn't need a song sheet.
They already know their part. You and I are the only ones who can choose whether to join in.
When storms roll through and skies darken, we can hear chaos or we can hear a choir.
And when we add our voices, our gratitude, our awe, heaven and earth sing together.
So the next time clouds gather and thunder rolls, don't rush to shut it out.
Pause and listen.
That's the sound of creation, worshiping its maker.
Maybe that's our cue to lift our hearts and join the song.
What do you think?
Beloved, this is a value-for-value show.
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No.
Today's episode is brought to you by
This is Just You and Me and the Word.
If this episode blessed you,
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Well, so far the comments I've gotten from a few of you
have been good.
Thank you for that.
Here's what Chase Jacobson said.
The verses we missed sounds great and I enjoy it.
And he also thanked me for starting a new season
of the LifeSpring One Year Bible Rewind.
So of course I have to ask you,
Have you listened to it?
That's a podcast where we read through the entire Bible in a year.
After the reading each time, I give you a few comments,
and then we have a On This Date in Church History segment,
and sometimes we share prayer requests.
Chase also asked me to run the LifeSpring Why Christmas show again this year.
That's something to think about.
What do you think, family?
Would you like to hear more of the LifeSpring Why Christmas show this December?
Let me know at stevelifespringmedia.com.
and speaking of prayer let's have a closing prayer let's pray our loving heavenly father how we thank
you for the richness of your word thank you for loving us enough to give us this way to get to
know you our limited human minds will never be able to extract everything there is to know of
you from its pages, but that's part of the wonder of it. Your word truly is alive and it thrills our
hearts when you continually reveal more of yourself as we study and spend time with you through it.
Thank you, Lord, so much for that. Lord, help us to hear you and see you through your creation.
We don't worship the creation. We worship the one who brought it into being. Psalm 148, which we read
today, tells us that. And Revelation 11 says, Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and
power, for you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.
And Father Romans 1.20 tells us, For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes,
his eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has
been made, so that they are without excuse. Lord, there are so many more that confirm this in your
word. Help us to rejoice in you as we see what your hand has created. Father, help us walk with
closer each and every day. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Bye.