Sons & Daughters of Thunder Ministries

I am a fiery, wild horse charging furiously alone across a high desert plateau; my home. It is a brisk fall day and a cold nip is in the air. Breath, like billowing smoke is pouring from my snorting nostrils as I eat up the ground in defiant rebellion. There is a mighty storm on the horizon brewing from the North as dark clouds accented with lightning’s and thunder begin to fill the once calm air. I can feel the rolling thunder and the power emanating from the storm that is filling every part of my being. I am full of fear and excitement, the two things that I love the most, yet I cannot understand their meaning so I do what I was created to do which is to run! Run fast, run hard, pound the earth and eat up the ground with an uncertain vengeance. This plateau is mine. I own it and everything in it! This is where I thrive and where I have been made, wrought out of the dirt and the cold brisk air that make up my powerful body and unbridled spirit. The storm continues its onward approach, moving dreadfully across the plateau like a mighty advancing army kicking up dust as it were coming specifically for me. Not knowing why and against all sound reason, I turn, size up the storm and I charge! My hooves pounding, every muscle in my body responding to its call; I dig deep into the hardened earth, tearing up the sacred ground and I am swallowed up in the midst of the storm’s awesome presence.

At once! A flash of white-hot blinding lightning presents itself to me, followed by a loud crash of booming thunder. In an instant, I am stopped dead in my tracks in glorious fear. I rise to my powerful hind legs and paw frantically at the unsuspecting air. What is this? I ask myself in frenzied wonder. It feels like a part of me. I recognize its strength, yet I still can’t fully comprehend its meaning. Another flash, another roar of thunder and I am settled back to the ground as I face off with the magnificent storm in a curious fearful stare. A snort, a shake of my forceful head, a paw at the unyielding ground; I struggle to take in its awesome splendor with all of my wild senses. I am drawn to it in amazement and succumbed to it by fear. In power and overwhelming majesty it wraps itself around me like a whirlwind as it moves through my soul stirring every part of my inner being. At first I struggle and strain as I feel it trying to bring me under its control. I fight for a moment in vain and then slowly I yield to its striking power as it begins to comfort me and speak to me with its still, soft awe inspiring voice. One last snort, another final shake of the head and one more final attempt to buck and in an instant I am settled in a blanket of warm understanding as I listen to His voice. With my ears pricked in fatal excitement and dangerous wonder; I finally hear what He is saying.

From the words that were spoken to Job long ago in the time of the ancients, the Storm speaks unto me:

HAST THOU GIVEN THE HORSE STRENGTH? HAST THOU CLOTHED HIS NECK WITH THUNDER? CANST THOU MAKE HIM AFRAID AS A GRASSHOPPER AND SPRING IN FEAR? THE GLORY OF HIS NOSTRILS IS TERRIBLE. HE PAWETH AT THE VALLEY AND REJOICETH IN HIS STRENGTH. HE GOETH ON TO MEET THE ARMED MEN. HE MOCKETH AT FEAR, AND IS NOT AFFRIGHTED; NEITHER TURNETH HE BACK FROM THE SWORD. THE QUIVER RATTLETH AGAINST HIM, THE GLITTERING SPEAR AND THE SHIELD. HE SWALLOWETH THE GROUND WITH FIERCENESS AND RAGE: NEITHER BELIEVETH HE THAT IT IS THE SOUND OF THE TRUMPET. HE SAITH AMONG THE TRUMPETS, HA, HA! AND HE SMELLETH THE BATTLE AFAR OFF! THE THUNDER OF THE CAPTAINS, AND THE SHOUTING.

Then the thunder roars again and He speaks to me this very truth:

I AM YOUR FATHER AND YOU ARE MY CHILD. I CREATED YOU AND YOU BELONG TO ME. THIS PLATEAU HAS BEEN YOUR TEACHER AND YOUR REBELLION HAS BEEN YOUR SONG. YOU HAVE RUN THE GROUND HERE UNBRIDLED AND WITHOUT CAUSE AND ALL OF THIS BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE IT SO. FOR MY SAKE YOU ARE HERE. FOR MY PURPOSE YOU ARE ALONE ON THIS PLATEAU, FOR I CREATED THE WIND ON WHICH YOU RIDE AND THE FIRE IN YOUR BELLY THAT MAKES YOU CHARGE. I EVEN CREATED YOUR REBELLION FOR MY PURPOSE, AND NOW IS THE DAY I REVEAL IT TO YOU. YOU ARE MY SON; YOU ARE THE SON OF THUNDER AND THE LIGHTNING IS NOW YOUR CAUSE. THE LIGHTNING IS MY POWER AND NOW YOU WILL BECOME FULLY AWARE OF ITS PURPOSE FOR YOU! FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, YOU HAVE BECOME MY WARHORSE AND YOU WILL NOW OBEY MY THUNDER AND YOU WILL NOW TAKE MY LIGHTNING AND SHOW IT TO THIS WICKED WORLD. FOR THERE IS LIFE FOR ALL IN THE LIGHTNING AND THE THUNDER CHOOSES WHO IT WILL GIVE! NOW YOU KNOW YOUR PURPOSE AND NOW YOU WILL TRULY LIVE! WITH MY BRIDLE IN YOUR MOUTH AND MY REINS AROUND YOUR NECK, YOU WILL WAR NO MORE FOR THE WORLD, NOW YOU WILL WAR FOR ME! WHEN I SAY GO, YOU WILL CHARGE. WHEN I SAY RIGHT, YOU WILL TURN. WHEN I SAY SNORT, YOU WILL SHOOT OUT YOUR MIGHTY BREATH AND YOU WILL BE HEARD. FOR I WILL SPEAK THROUGH YOU AND YOU WILL BE IN OBEDIENCE TO ME AND NOW YOU WILL LIVE! MIGHTY WARHORSE; THUNDER IN YOUR MANE, POWER IN MY NAME, GLORY IN YOUR STRIDE AND MERCY AT YOUR SIDE YOU WILL FOREVER BE ON A NEW PLATEAU I GIVE YOU TO RESIDE. THIS WILL BE YOUR NEW HOME; A PLACE WHERE YOU NOW CAN ROAM. THIS PLATEAU RESTS AT THE FOOT OF MY HOLY MOUNTAIN, A PLACE YOU WILL NEVER AGAIN HAVE TO RUN ALONE. FOR NOW MY SON WHEN IT’S TIME TO RUN, I WILL MOUNT UP WITH A SHOUT AND SAY, “THUNDER HORSE…LETS’S RIDE!”

~ Evangelist Michael Bowen