God and Weather
God and Weather
Have you ever wondered how God parted the Red Sea? If you’re like me, you may have watched the news about hurricane Ian in 2022.. Weather fascinates me. I am so on top of the weather that my husband calls me by the name of our local weather man! I should have been a meteorologist! However, I think I will settle for Bible study teacher! Why? Because I come across the most amazing truths as I comb through scripture and ponder the smallest details!
There has been some mention on the news that man can control the weather. Well, first of all, there are a zillion verses in the Bible regarding weather and God. God controls the weather and he uses the weather in various ways; mostly to demonstrate his divine providence over all things.
As I was watching the news on hurricane Ian, I was particularly intrigued by a phenomenon called a “negative storm surge”. This is also known as a “blowout tide”. According to a news article in the Washington Post, this is what happens when offshore hurricane winds push water away from the coast, leaving beaches desolate. Blowout tides are the opposite of storm surge. A storm surge fiercely pushes water over the shore.
The Washington Post goes on to explain that as Ian approached southwestern Florida from the Gulf of Mexico side, areas north of the center saw water sucked away from the shore; areas south of the storm encountered the same thing, except the water would subsequently return with a vengeance.
As I watched the news, people were being warned to stay sheltered in place and not come out to look at this weather phenomenon. When the water pushes back to shore, it can be life threatening because it comes back with so much power.
Ok, so here we go….Having said this, I have to tell you the most exciting revelation I am having as a Bible teacher regarding weather! In Exodus 14, the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery is told. Now, if you are my age or older, then you remember the movie “The Ten Commandments”. You probably remember the “cinematic” special effects of Moses parting the waters of the Red Sea. However, Exodus 14 is much more impressive than any movie!
In Exodus 14, God leads Moses and the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery. He does not lead them via dry land and shortest route. He leads them to the Red Sea so he can show the Israelites and the Egyptian solders that he is GOD!! In Exodus 14:10, the Israelites are being chased by Pharaoh and the Egyptian soldiers. They are terrified. But Moses, a man of immense faith, encourages them to not be afraid. Moses says to the Israelites “Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:13-14)
Ok, I am switching my hat from Bible teacher to meteorologist now…..
The Lord tells Moses in verse 16 to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea. Moses is about to divide the waters so the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. In verse 21, Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land.
WOW!!! The “negative storm surge” allowed the Israelites to get away from their enemies! Then, in verse 24, the Lord threw the Egyptian army into confusion! He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving! Was this an earthquake?? I did some research a few years ago that confirmed there were a series of powerful earthquakes during this time.
Verse 26, the Lord tells Moses to stretch out his hand again. The waters then flowed back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen! This was the “storm surge”!! This destroyed Pharaoh and his soldiers and allowed the Israelites to escape! Verse 27, the sea then went back to its place. How amazing!
Several points I want to make. God is in total control of EVERYTHING! It is absurdly arrogant for man to think he can control the weather.
The Lord shows His power through weather. The weather phenomenons are reminders of who our creator is. He uses His power to glorify Himself so that others might believe. I bet the story of Exodus 14 is more believable to you now than it was through a movie filled with special effects!
He uses the weather to protect us from our enemies; sometimes to defeat our enemies. Sometimes He uses weather as a form of judgment as He did in Genesis 6-8 with the Great Flood. He uses weather to test our faith as He did with the storm in Luke 8:24-25. Sometimes, He may use weather to move us from one place to another; to scatter us.
Moses and the Israelites were victorious that day because the Israelites could see the Lord was with Moses. Moses listened to the Lord’s instruction and everyone did what the Lord commanded them to do!
I want to conclude with my own story about weather. There was a time in my life, college to be exact, when I was not interested in going to church or picking up a Bible. It was spring break and I was traveling from home back to college on a desolate road in West Texas. Back in my college days, we didn’t have cell phones or weather radars in our cars. I hadn’t paid any attention to the weather. It was a somewhat cloudy day but no cause for alarm; so I thought. It started raining and before I knew it the sky turned black. It was ten o’clock in the morning but it looked like it was midnight. The rain was pounding. As I drove my little Volkswagen down the highway, I began to hydroplane and found myself in a ditch in the middle of nowhere.
As the lightening lit up the sky, I saw a house far away in a pasture. I ran as fast as I could and barreled through the back door of this home. To make a long story short, I had barely missed a tornado. When the storm was over and the sun came out, roofs were torn off and irrigation piping was tangled like shoestrings. God’s fury was unleashed that day and I was a terrified eye witness to it!
For years, I was absolutely terrified of any cloud that popped up! It wasn’t until I got into a Bible study in my thirties that I came to understand the power of the Lord. I know He controls the weather and He has continued to protect me. I also know, because He controls it, I don’t need to be afraid if I do what I need to do to protect myself.
One more little story that proves God controls the weather. When I was a young mom we lived in a home with a large yard that required a good watering on a weekly basis. Our water bill could be very high if we had to water a lot. We were in a drought that year and I had mention to my husband that I had been praying for rain. As he left for work that morning, he called me soon after he pulled out of the driveway. He asked if I really did pray for rain and of course, I said yes. He told me to look out my window. It was only raining over our house! I couldn’t believe it. The Lord wants to show He answers the prayers of the faithful. He watches over us and gives us what we pray for in faith and what we need according to His will.
We have become casual about our Lord. We would rather sit around and watch YouTube videos and scan our social media apps than to sit down and study about our Creator. When we lack interest in going to church or picking up our Bibles, we lose our fear of God. When we lose our fear of God, we lose our wisdom. He is an awesome God, a loving God, and a powerful God. I hope the Lord’s fury is working on your behalf as His fury worked for the Israelites.
The Lord is LORD whether we make Him Lord or not. Remember hurricane Ian. The “negative storm surge” or “blowout tide” happened thousands of years ago and still happens today. God is in control of the weather just as He was in control of parting the Red Sea!
We don’t need climate change, we need a heart change and the weather will soon straighten itself out!
Oh, if only we could heed Moses’ words…”be still”!
I challenge you to find “stillness” and an open Bible in your hand. You will be amazed at what you will learn about God.
Blessings,
Janice Bobanis
