I’ve always considered myself to be a one-season girl. I only enjoyed summer with its hot sun, warm breezes, and cold popsicles. Summer is for swimming and vacationing, it’s for listening to the cicadas, sipping ice teas, and smelling the blossoms of the lilac trees. What is not to love about summer? Summer is when praising God for the weather is easy and heartfelt, at least for me.
But then come the other seasons; spring and fall with their rains and winds, and winter, where everything is cold, hard, and seemingly dead. Sure, winter in the Alps is breathtaking, but winter in the Midwest is brutal. It gets so cold here that even the weatherman tells you, on bad days, to just stay inside. This is when praising God for the weather stops and complaining abounds.
But I need change my thinking and consider God’s work of providence. God is the God of all weather. He didn’t create the seasons to run themselves, but carefully ordains every ray of sunshine, drop of rain, bolt of lightning, and falling snowflake. If we look carefully at the weather we can see the awesomeness of God.
Here is a quick look at God’s mighty hand at work in all weather.
The God of Rain
How many times have I complained about the rain--especially when I had plans? Rainy days can turn us into whiny adults who throw a little fit because we don’t get what we want. And yet the Bible is clear that “this is the day that the Lord has made.”
"He gives rain on the earth and sends water on the fields,” Job 5:10
'They do not say in their heart, "Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who gives rain in its season, Both the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The appointed weeks of the harvest." Jeremiah 5:24
Vapors go up, rains come down, air is condensed into water, water rarefied into air; but the great God keeps an exact account of all the stock with which this trade is carried on for the public benefit and sees that none of it be lost. --Matthew Henry
The God of Storms
There are many people who are afraid of storms. They can seem loud and wild and even appear to be out of control. We certainly recognize just how little control we have in such situations. While storms seem unpredictable and uncontrollable, they always remain under the control of our great God. His finger draws the path for the wind and it can’t stray from it. He fixes the exact volume of thunder and the intensity of the rain.
He set a limit for the rain and a course for the thunderbolt, Job 28:26
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. Psalm 135:7
God of Snow and Ice
Winter is the hardest season for me. I do not like being cold and the grey skies can really mess with my mood. But there is good and beauty to be found in all seasons and in all weather. I am determined to find it this year.
Snowflakes are delicate, if you try to catch one it immediately melts on your hand. But God can create and mold each snow flake into a uniquely beautiful creation, directing where it should land and how long it should last.
He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' Job 37:6
The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. Job 37:10
He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. Psalms 147:16
The truth that God creates, ordains, and controls all weather is really important to understand because, as William Law said, “He who complains of the weather—complains of the God who ordains the weather!” Basically we are raising our fists against God, against his wisdom, and his goodness.
I wonder how much complaining would be eliminated from our lives if we could truly be thankful for the weather we experience each day. Can we agree with the Psalmist that this is the day that the Lord has made, and can we rejoice and be glad in it? My goal for this coming year is that I would learn to enjoy the rainy days as much as the sunny ones, and the cold days as much as the warm ones.
But how do we do that when the weather sometimes hurts? When a tornado takes our home, or when so much snow falls that people have a difficulty getting food and supplies? We can rejoice that it is not happening without purpose, and that our affliction will work for our good. We can praise God who is presently involved and will use both pleasant and painful weather for his glory and our sanctification.
"This is the day the Lord hath made,
He calls the hours his own;
Let heaven rejoice, let earth be glad,
And praise surround the throne."
--Isaac Watts
Jen Thorn lives in Illinois where she serves alongside her husband, Joe, at Redeemer Fellowship. She loves studying theology, reading the Puritans, and has a passion for all things chocolate. Jen has 4 children and blogs at jenthorn.com as well as lovegodgreatly.com. Follow her on Twitter@jenlthorn or on Facebook: Jen Thorn
Photo Credit: Getty Images/BrianAJackson
