I remember growing up as a kid in the 70’s there was a commercial we would see on television for Chiffon margarine. The theme of the commercial was that someone substituted margarine for the great taste of butter, and fooled mother nature. When she found out she was being duped, she would stand up, flash a bolt of light across the scene with roaring thunder and exclaim in her angry voice, “It’s not nice to fool mother nature!” Isn’t it nice to know that nature isn’t controlled by some “mother” who gets angry when you tick her off and throws down lightning bolts?

We serve a Sovereign Creator who is in complete control of His creation. If you are a Bible believing Christian then this should come as no surprise. But when you see the news and another hurricane strikes the coast, massive amounts of snow blanket the East, or an earthquake rocks a small defenseless island, do you wonder just a bit if God had any idea it was happening? Rest assured, He is not surprised. God uses nature to do His will and serve His mighty purpose. There are many examples of it in the Scriptures.

He sent a great storm to cause the sailors to throw Jonah into the sea (Jon 1:4). God caused the earth to flood and saved only Noah and his family(Gen 6:1 – 9:17). Jesus calms the storm when He and the disciples were crossing the sea (Mark 4:35-39). These are just a few examples of His power over the weather and nature.

The Old Testament is filled with many examples of God using storms, famine, and other natural occurrences to discipline His people. However, we have moved into a New Covenant. Jesus took the wrath of God on the cross for us and now we live under His mercy and grace. God is in control of nature, but no longer uses it to punish us. All of our punishment for sin was laid upon Jesus. Why we have natural disasters, famine, and other weather related difficulties is a mystery to me. I trust that God is good and that He loves us, so I believe He uses them for a purpose and we will one day be able to see the big picture. Until then…

Blessings to you as you seek Him.

Keith