Does God take a hand in our weather?
Don’t ask that question too loudly, it would be considered inappropriate. However, people are starting to voice their concerns about the escalation of violent and destructive weather. The reports of floods, droughts, tornadoes, and hurricanes are increasingly difficult to shrug off.
If you believe God’s word, you won’t ignore the problems of weather. The violent weather and all other natural disasters are controlled by the hand of God, as you will see as you read on. That does not mean that every spell of bad weather is brought by God. But it is clear from the Bible, that God does use the weather for His purposes. Right now the number one concern of all western nations is the economy. When we hear the reports of billions of dollars of damage from weather episodes, it is clear the economy is affected by the weather. It is obvious that good weather brings good crops, which make up a large segment of every country’s economy. If a nation or region has a climate that supports agriculture, barring other offsetting problems, it will be a strong prosperous country.
The question is, where does good, crop producing weather come from? The Bible makes it clear:
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God…The Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give you the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God…” (Deut 28:11-13) Unfortunately, we are not, in many areas, seeing these blessings fall down upon us at this time. It is quite the opposite.
When we look to Texas, we see a specific example of how agriculture is being affected by the weather this year. The drought and resulting range fires occurring in Texas are being covered even by international media. These fires have been powerful and destructive, killing people and destroying property. However, few realize that there is a lasting effect from this combination of natural disasters. The cattle industry is being severely damaged, not only in Texas but also in Oklahoma and the surrounding states. Cattlemen are being forced to sell off cattle to the point that many will not have herds in the future. The drought and fires are destroying pastures and grain. According to business reports out of that area, the cattle industry may not recover for many years to come. This will cause a large shortage of beef, which will mean much higher beef prices in the near future. It is happening at a time when the world’s population is seeking more and more high quality food, especially beef. The current drought stricken area is probably the largest beef producing area of the world, and it is being devastated. This is not fulfilling the idea expressed in the above-quoted passage from Deuteronomy where it mentions an “increase of your livestock” for those who are obedient to God.
In the Book of Job after hearing Job’s complaints about God, God asked Job these questions:
“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds so that an abundance of water may cover you? Can you send out lightenings, that they may go and say to you, here we are? Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, when the dust hardens in clumps and the clods cling together?” (Job 38:34-38)
By asking these questions, God is opening Job’s mind as to who is in charge, not only of the weather, but also the entire universe. It is a lesson the majority of mankind has never found the answer to. After God’s questioning, and considering what Job’s blessed life had been like and how horrible it was when God removed those blessings, Job was left with only a humble response, “I know you can do everything, and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you…Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand.” (Job 42:1,3) Those who do not think that God is in charge of the weather need to have their eyes opened, like Job did.
According to Bible prophecy, we are quickly approaching the return of Jesus Christ — a time when Christ will bring the nations to heel. And he will use the weather to cause them to bend their knees before him. (Zech. 14:17-28) When mankind is subdued by Christ, there will be a new and agriculture-related industry, the conversion of weapons to agricultural implements. Plowshares for growing crops will be needed, and weapons of war will be converted into such tools. (Isaiah 2:4) It is prophesied the rain will come in due season, and the huge abundance of crops to be harvested will be the challenge, not the struggle we currently face resulting from continual weather disasters.