Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Ultimate Weatherman

By Anne Mateer

I think I’ve mentioned here before that I spent most of my life in bondage to fear. So given my propensity to shake and shiver, it shouldn’t be any wonder that a clap of thunder could send me hiding under the covers or a gust of wind hurl me into the bathtub, radio in hand. 

Of course it’s good to have a healthy fear of weather. After all, weather is a powerful force. In high school, I babysat through one of the worst hailstorms in our city’s history in blessed ignorance. But when I returned home, the baseball-sized holes in windows were visible even through the pitch black of the power outage.

As the Lord set me free from my various fears, I still found myself panicked over weather. It was unpredictable. Uncontrollable. I’d seen too much, read too much history, not to understand that its effects could devastate a life, a community, even a country! Yet just as I could turn to the Word of God to allay my fears about other things, I found comfort in the fact that the God is never out of control.

“What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm . . . Does the rain have a father? . . . From whose womb comes the ice?  Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?” God said these words to Job. (Job 38:24-30) 

No wonder Jesus could calm the storm with just a word! And since He is the ultimate weatherman, I should fear Him over His creation. Just like the disciples, I can trust Him to care for me even through the fiercest wind and rain. Not that I don’t still get nervous when the skies grow black and lightning zips a fiery line from heaven to earth. And if the sky turns green, you can bet I’m headed for the bathtub or the hallway! But my first thought now is for the One who controls the weather and not for the weather itself.

So what kind of weather makes you most nervous? Have you ever been caught in a terrifying weather situation? How did God meet you there?  

All photos courtesy of photoexpress.com

8 comments:

  1. Anne, This is great. I always enjoy reading things that make me think about the Creator rather than the things that He created.

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  2. The time that weather scared me most was after we returned from the war in Lebanon and lightning reminded me too much of the bombs for a while.

    Interesting tid bit, I often have dreams about tornadoes the night before one hits our area. I'm not sure if it's spiritual or just intuitive. I think it's probably more like how the animals sense the signs in the weather systems moving in.

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  3. For me, it's probably wind. Even as a baby my mom said I hated to have the wind blow on me. It "steals" my breath. Strange, I know.
    I love the story of the disciples rowing all night against the storm, and then Jesus comes out, walking on the water like it's no big deal. Someday I want to be able to relax and ENJOY weather.

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  4. Hi, Anne: First, let me congratulate you on signing with Bethany House. I'm very excited for you!

    Coming from California, we didn't experience much 'weather'. Which we found out when we moved to Texas. The size and velocity of the storms there mezmerized me. We could watch them coming for miles.

    I remember watching one 'wind' storm from our family room window. BBQ's and lawn furniture flew by. Tree limbs were snapped like toothpicks. It wasn't until the street light standards laid down in submission that we realized we perhaps should head for our tornado room.

    The tornado warning system didn't sound, so they called it a micro-burst. Got them off the hook.

    I don't mind weather, though my prayers go out to those affected by it. I'm always thankful to be around to see all of God's wonders.

    Connie

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  5. Morning everyone! Or I guess it's already afternoon. :)

    I agree, Louise. Thanks for stopping by.

    Dina, I can imagine that thunderstorms would startle you back into the remembrance of bombings. Yikes!

    I'm with you on the wind, Niki. I hate it! And spring in Texas is just windy. Period. Even with no other severe weather conditions. It's the only thing I hate about watching my boy play baseball.

    CONNIE!!! How great to see you here! You have been in my prayers! Thank you for your sweet words. And yes, does Texas ever have the weather!! I guess being a Texas girl is what put that fear of weather in me. It can change so quickly and be so scary here.

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  6. Louise, I love your comment! Focusing on the Creator, rather than the created...I'm going to mull on that for a while.

    I've been pretty sheltered, weather-wise, but we were too close for comfort to a tornado once. I was petrified. Our car was pretty beat up by hailstones. I can't imagine what Connie went through, watching things break and fall over like that!

    Great post, Anne. Thanks for sharing what God's laid on your heart! I was blessed by it.

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  7. Hi Anne,
    I've always been scared of lightning and thunder, but ice storms are the worst for me.

    Way back in 1978 I think it was, a friend and I were driving from New Jersey back to WVU. The road went from clear to ice-covered in a matter of seconds, or so it seemed. The windshield iced over and we slid to a stop partially off the interstate but not entirely. When I looke behing us all I could see was a semi coming right for us, out of control and sideways. We opened the car doors and ran over the ice to the other side of the highway. The truck got one side of the car and the on-lookers didn't know how we ran out of the way because no one could stand if they moved a foot. I believe angels carried us out of harms way that day.

    A man and wife team of truckers took us into their cab to stay warm. It was a pile up that went for miles and unfortunaelty there were fatalities behind us.

    It was a miracle that we escaped uninjured.

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  8. Susie, be glad you haven't seen much weather up close!

    How scary Jillian! And I agree. I think angels took you across that highway!

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