How great is God—beyond our understanding!  The number of his years is past finding out.He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams ;   the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.   Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion?   See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea.   This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance.   He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark.   His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach. – Job 36:26-33

In the beginning of this passage Elihu acknowledges the awesomeness of God and His power, yet he is not sure that God can be anything but a cloud high above.

Elihu appears to have some hidden talents as a keen observer of natural events and earth around him…a born hydrologist.  The description of drawing up drops of water and distilling them to streams is a great description of the hydrologic cycle. The process of evaporation and condensation is one of the reasons we have safe, fresh, water to drink.

As I am writing this it occurs to me that there is an interesting spiritual parallel here.  God “condenses” part of His spirit so that we can experience Him on earth as the living water provided by Jesus.  We take in this living water and He lives in us.  God’s spirit distilled into us streams….kind of humbling.

Part of the hydrologic cycle is rains that fall to earth….the clouds that “pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind”.  The rain from heaven can arrive in a devastating form as God’s rain, or as a gentle rain on tender plants.  The spectrum of water that God provides is what makes our journey here on earth interesting, and sometimes challenging when we pass through dusty dry times as Job is experiencing.

Prayer: God You are the great condenser that distills Your spirit into our being.  Thank You for sharing your spirit with us.