In Job thirty-seven I read where God causes the lightning, thunder, snow, rain, frost, fog, and whirlwind. He causes the cloudy days, and the sunshine, and He wants all men to know His work.
Why does God change the weather? Is it only on a whim, or is there a purpose?
Verse thirteen says He causes the weather changes to come …“whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy.” Then verse thirty-seven says, …”We cannot find Him out.”
Is it our nature to try to decide why God sent the storm our way? Is it only I who am not content with the situation I find myself in?
When the deal fell through on the house which was sold, I questioned, “Why?” Though it is God’s will for me to be content I strive against His will. No, not verbally, but in my spirit I’m overwhelmed and fearful. But in Job 33:13 it says, “… He giveth not account of any of His matters.” He doesn’t tell me why it was sunny today, nor why it was chilly and rainy last week. He didn’t ask my permission before He sent the hurricane raging across the ocean which gradually dissipated over the land. Neither did He explain why He allowed the people to not get the loan to buy the house. But, He did it for a purpose.
Nahum 1:3 says, “ … The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.” Instead of thinking, “God is nowhere near!” when I’m in the middle of a storm, how would it boost my morale if I see things differently? What if I look at the dark clouds raging over my head and think of how close He is in my storm? After all, the clouds are the dust from His feet! How could I think God doesn’t hear me or speak to me when the lightning streaks across the sky and the thunder rumbles, and claps? Job said, “He thundered with the voice of His ‘Excellency.’ So when the thunder startles me by rumbling and cracking around me if I realize it is …”The voice of HIS EXCELLENCY“, I know He is listening and speaking to me.
In Mark 4:36-39 the disciples were in the ship and a storm came up. They were frightened because of it’s severity. Then Jesus spoke to the storm and it ceased. He sent the storm, then calmed it.
In Job 38:8-10 Job told of searching everywhere to find God with no luck. He even said he looked in front, behind, on the left, and right, but couldn’t see God. Though according to verse nine, Job looked on the left, “… Where God doth work.” He saw the clouds in his storm, but wasn’t realizing that the clouds indicated that God was near. He was so overwhelmed by his affliction he didn’t see God in them. (Of course he stood firm in his trust of God which isn’t easy to do when you don’t see Him.) We look at the Scripture and read the reason for Job’s storm. But, when he was living through it, he could see none.
We look at other’s and based on what we see or sense about them decide why God is sending the storm their way. If we see their faults we decide it is for correction, and if we see none, it is to show them His glory. But, we should remember, “God looks on the heart.” How many times have we been surprised to see what was really in someone’s heart that was undetected? Actually, how many times have we been surprised at what was buried in our own heart? Only God knows our hearts, and sometimes it takes a storm to reveal it to us so we can clean it out.
Another story we have heard was of David and Bathsheba, and how God took their infant son. We’ve read how God did that to draw David back from the wrong he had done. God knew David’s heart was ‘FULLY DEVOTED” to Him in spite of his failures. (I Kings 11”4) Knowing what we know about David, we would not have believed “he had a heart after God.”
We know that rain, storms, the clouds, and every type of weather has it’s purpose. It causes our world to be balanced and to produce what is needed to continue producing.
When we face the storm our character can grow more like Christ, or we can strive against the storm and not grow at all in character. Then we likely have to face that one again. How many times have I brought more storms into my life because of my strong will? How often has He been near to see me through the storm I faced and I was so busy fighting tooth and nail resisting the storm that I had no clue?
July 2010
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