August 25th,
1814, a tornado struck Washington DC. It
was a rather destructive, deadly, and violent tornado. There was severe damage throughout the city,
trees down, buildings and infrastructure destroyed. It was a terrible disaster; or was it?
5 days previous, as part of an offensive in the war of 1812, the British landed warships in the Chesapeake Bay and marched on DC. They overran the city and took it over. From the White House, the British admiral ordered the city burned and it was set ablaze. It looked as if he country was defeated, our capital had been captured and was being laid waste. Surrender seemed imminent and we were to once again become British subjects, no longer an independent nation. Then God stepped in.
The outer bands of a hurricane came ashore, one storm cell of which produced the violent tornado. The tornado scattered the ranks of the soldiers, destroyed their weaponry, killed many of the army, and sent them fleeing for their lives out of DC. As the hurricane spun off shore, 2 days of constant rain fell, putting out all of the fires the British had set. The storm also severely damaged the ships they had arrived in.
When the American militia returned to retake the city, they found it abandoned, with no resistance. God himself had single handedly defeated our enemies, and stopped their destruction. This is just one incident where God has intervened in the events of nations. There are many others as well.
In the 148th Psalm we get a little peak at God’s use of weather in His plan. In verse 5 it says, Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created. Following are a list of things that were commanded and created. In verse 8 we find, “fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!” So here we have that God indeed created weather to fulfill his word.
Again we find this principle in the 37th chapter of Job. From verse 1 thru verse 12 we get a description of weather God has created, and clues to it’s function. Verse 13 sums up again the principle of God’s use of weather, “Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen.”
Most people consider bad weather merely as a punishment and judgment from God. While it certainly can be, we see that there is far more accomplished in God’s use of weather. We don’t have the mind of God, nor do we understand all of His ways. Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. We don’t always see the bigger plan of God’s larger purpose.
5 days previous, as part of an offensive in the war of 1812, the British landed warships in the Chesapeake Bay and marched on DC. They overran the city and took it over. From the White House, the British admiral ordered the city burned and it was set ablaze. It looked as if he country was defeated, our capital had been captured and was being laid waste. Surrender seemed imminent and we were to once again become British subjects, no longer an independent nation. Then God stepped in.
The outer bands of a hurricane came ashore, one storm cell of which produced the violent tornado. The tornado scattered the ranks of the soldiers, destroyed their weaponry, killed many of the army, and sent them fleeing for their lives out of DC. As the hurricane spun off shore, 2 days of constant rain fell, putting out all of the fires the British had set. The storm also severely damaged the ships they had arrived in.
When the American militia returned to retake the city, they found it abandoned, with no resistance. God himself had single handedly defeated our enemies, and stopped their destruction. This is just one incident where God has intervened in the events of nations. There are many others as well.
In the 148th Psalm we get a little peak at God’s use of weather in His plan. In verse 5 it says, Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created. Following are a list of things that were commanded and created. In verse 8 we find, “fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!” So here we have that God indeed created weather to fulfill his word.
Again we find this principle in the 37th chapter of Job. From verse 1 thru verse 12 we get a description of weather God has created, and clues to it’s function. Verse 13 sums up again the principle of God’s use of weather, “Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen.”
Most people consider bad weather merely as a punishment and judgment from God. While it certainly can be, we see that there is far more accomplished in God’s use of weather. We don’t have the mind of God, nor do we understand all of His ways. Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. We don’t always see the bigger plan of God’s larger purpose.
So, we need to be careful when we as Christians run about
declaring God’s judgment for a natural disaster(s). There may be purposes going on that we do not
understand. The world will accuse us of
wearing tin foil hats, decrying mystical conspiracies if we are spouting off
continually with one sided messages of doom.
Seek the Lord for wisdom when disastrous weather occurs. It could be judgment, but, there may be more to the story.
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