Thunderstruck - Rebecca Cox Jackson

1795–1871

At thirty-five years old, she was still terrified of thunderstorms. As Rebecca Cox Jackson wrote in her autobiography, “In time of thunder and lightning I would have to go to bed because it made me so sick.” But this time as she prayed for deliverance, God answered. It was as if a cloud burst within her, she said. The thunderstorm—what she called “the messenger of death”—held no more threat for her. It was now “the messenger of peace, joy, and consolation.”

That event was more than meteorological. It was a profound conversion that dramatically affected Rebecca’s life. Now relying fully on God, she began hearing his voice inside her, telling her about her spiritual gifts and how to use them. Responding to this guidance, she began to lead regular “Covenant Meetings” with people from the neighborhood—mostly women but also a few men. There she would share her messages from God.

Of course, the local church authorities were skeptical about these meetings, especially since Rebecca refused to join a church or urge her followers to do so. Yet after Bishop Morris Brown of the African Methodist Episcopal Church visited her gathering, intending to admonish her, he said, “If ever the Holy Ghost was in any place, it was in that meeting. Let her alone now.”

Rebecca’s religious activity took a toll on her personal life, however, leading to the breakup of her marriage and an estrangement from her brother (an AME minister). Still she continued to work as she felt God was leading her, eventually connecting with the Shaker movement and starting a Shaker community in Philadelphia. This group followed the simple theology of the Shakers but added worship elements from African prayer circles. “Mother Jackson” was apparently pretty good at empowering African American women in their own interactions with God.

Have you ever had a “thunderstorm moment” in which God helped you face your fear? Do you need one? For Rebecca Cox Jackson, in a flash, terror turned to trust, and that changed her life forever. Realizing that she desperately needed God’s guidance, she developed the habit of listening for his voice.

That’s a good habit for us as well.

Listen carefully to the thunder of God’s voice as it rolls from his mouth. It rolls across the heavens, and his lightning flashes in every direction.

Job 37:2-3