But none have been as fierce as the one reported on in an article titled “Thunderstorm In Kansas Casts 'Epic' 75-Mile-Long Shadow, Blocks Sunrise As Storm Reaches Taller Than Mount Everest”. As reported by Travis Fedschun and published on www.FoxNews.com back on August 12, 2020, a stunning sunrise in Kansas on Aug. 4, 2020 got blocked by an even more spectacular sight in the sky – a monstrous storm on the rise.
According to the report:
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Goodland (KS) said last Tuesday that an isolated thunderstorm in Norton County in the state's northwest cast a 75-mile-long shadow. The storm's shadow extended southwest all the way to the Goodland forecast office, briefly blocking the sunrise.
A meteorologist snapped a photo just before 6 a.m. as the thunderstorm cloud blocked the rising sun. "The storm in question was ~35,000 ft tall — about 1 mile taller than Mount Everest," the NWS tweeted. The storm's shadow could be seen extending across the sky in the photo released by the forecast office, which frequently documents stunning weather moments in the Kansas prairies.
The thunderstorm's shadow could even be seen from space. Satellite imagery released by the NWS shows the shadow stretching southward across the state's northwest corner. A meteorologist at the NWS also shared a time-lapse of the thunderstorm shadow reaching the Goodland forecast office. In the video, the shadow can be seen moving across the sky as the sun rises.
Of course, sunrises and sunsets are some of the most awe-inspiring displays in nature. They testify not only to the beauty of nature, but also to the truth of God’s word in Genesis chapter 8, verse 22 that: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease.”
I love that old promise because it reminds me that no matter how badly any particular day might turn out, there is always the assurance of another day, and a chance to start all over again.
As Annie famously sang:
The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun! Just thinking about tomorrow clears away the cobwebs, and the sorrow, 'til there's none!
When I'm stuck in a day that's gray, and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin, and say, “Oh the sun will come out tomorrow so ya gotta hang on 'til tomorrow come what may,
Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya tomorrow! You're always a day away!”
Praise God for the promise of each new day. But even the promise of a new day on the horizon does not necessarily mean that new day will be devoid of storms. Jesus taught this when He reminded us in His famed sermon on the mount that “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” By this He meant, at least in part, that each day will invariably involve some degree of difficulty.
Famed recording artist Lynn Anderson once put it this way: “I beg your pardon; I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine; there's gotta be a little rain sometimes!”
Nor has God promised us a storm free life. Rather, what He has promised is to be there with us whenever we go through the storms of life. He tells us this over and over again in the writings of the Prophet Isaiah, for whom this was a prevalent theme. In chapter 4, verse 6, we are told that God provides us “a shelter from the storm and rain”. In chapter 25, verses 4-5, we are told that God has been “a strong-place for those who could not help themselves and for those in need because of much trouble” and that He has been “a safe place from the storm”.
Are you currently experiencing a storm? If you are, take heart, for you are not alone. As one evangelist once put it, chances are that most of us are either just coming out of one, even now experiencing one, or else are just about to head into one. That is the bad news. The good news is that we do not face to face the storms of life alone, no matter how big and monstrous they may seem as they approach!
Just ask Noah as he emerged from the ark! Just ask Joseph as he emerged from prison! Just ask Daniel as he emerged from the lion’s den! Just ask Jonah as he emerged from the fish! Just ask the Disciples as they saw the wind and the waves dying down on the lake! Each of these in turn faced their own respective storms. Yet they were never alone. And neither are we!
P.S. For what it’s worth, the article cited above went on to say that the massive storm in question went on to produce only a few streaks of lightning before dissipating, and like all storms eventually do, fading into oblivion. The sun soon came back out and the new day unfolded in all its glory!
STORY SOURCE: https://www.foxnews.com/us/thunderstorm-kansas-shadow-75-miles-mount-everest-weather-norton-county. Its author, Travis Fedschun, is a reporter for FoxNews.com; and he can be followed on Twitter @travfed.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES: https://biblehub.com/genesis/8-22.htm; and
https://biblehub.com/matthew/6-34.htm.
SEE ALSO: https://biblereasons.com/storms/; as well as
http://davejacobs.net/youre-either-entering-in-the-middle-of-or-exiting-a-storm/.
SONG LYRICS: https://www.metrolyrics.com/tomorrow-lyrics-annie.html; and https://www.metrolyrics.com/rose-garden-i-never-promised-you-a-lyrics-lynn-anderson.html.