Tag Archives: rain

Weather Reflections: Lessons from Jesus Calming the Storm

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Greetings! The next few days are supposed to be wet, wet, wet! So, as a good Canadian, I’m going to start this week’s post with small talk about the weather. If the weather does what it says it’s going to, our piles of snow are going to melt away to puddles – with flooding, mud and general chaos of spring. I’m okay with that, as long as the temperature stays above freezing and it doesn’t turn into a slick ice rink on the roads! I’m done with that type of country driving (see here for my great winter driving story! HeHe!)

Speaking of the weather… it was the topic of my Sunday school lesson this past week. (They don’t call it “Sunday school” anymore; who wants school on Sundays? Showing my age here -but whatever… you get it – lessons for a bunch of little kids from the Bible). I’m loving getting back to hanging out with 3 year olds. They are brutally honest. They won’t let you rest for a moment… nor do they let you get away with faking it. They’ve got to trust you or it won’t fly. Which makes it difficult if they are a little shy and don’t want to hang out with a newbie who they only see once a month on the kids ministry schedule instead of mom or dad. We had eight blessings this week. One handsome young man melted my heart when he wanted only me to play with him. Alas, I digress… back to the weather.

Our lesson was Jesus calming the storm. In case you are not familiar… the gospels tell the story of Jesus and the disciples out in a boat when a storm arises. Jesus is asleep, and the men become afraid and wake him up. Bottom line: Jesus tells them He’s got it all under control and proceeds to “rebuke the winds and the rain” and calms the storm back to a gentle breeze. Yada Yada… disciples are again amazed at God’s power, Promote to kids that Jesus has the power like Superman and all is good in the world. The kids and I have a snowball fight with cotton balls, we laugh and run around with blue streamers being wind and crazy rain and I roll play Jesus and make them all STOP and be calm again.

And so, I muse. This story has been on my radar three different times this week in three different contexts. And I always say…”if you don’t listen to God’s still, small voice, then He’ll hit you with a 2×4 until you get it”. Jesus calming the storm. What am I to learn? Do I need reassurance that God, is in fact, always in control? Especially right now when Canada and the USA are battling out tariff wars and the news is all a buzz about what’s going to happen next? Am I to share it here, in my little corner of the internet, to encourage you, my beloved readers, that yes, God has the power to rebuke even the wind and rain and make the earth stop shaking? Or am I to reflect on how I can teach the next generation about the simplicity of the Gospel miracles… through play and fun?

Perhaps it’s all of the above. Weather is one of the simplest, and yet complex observances we can make on a daily basis. We have apps that keep us up to date hour by hour. Driving conditions and school bus cancellations… flight delays, weather watches and our outfit of the day. We are so influenced by something so seemingly simple as what ever is happening in the sky. Perhaps this is why it’s hitting me threefold this week. Something’s about to come down the tubes that will prompt me to remember that Yup, God’s got this one too… and a snowball fight with 3 year olds will be triggered in my memory.

Photo credit Etsy

And so, I pass it on to you, this week, my beloveds… so that we can be encouraged together that no matter what, the Creator of the universe and all the crazy weather that comes with it, still has you and I in the palm of His hand. We can peacefully sleep in the bottom of the ship (on a pillow says only one of the gospels… which is a weird observation in itself, but I digress again) as the storm rages on around us, knowing that Jesus “got power”! Take it to heart… and bring your umbrella just in case.

What about the Weather?

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As I sit here, the wind is howling, and there has been a steady, misting rain all day. The rain is supposed to continue all night into tomorrow. Last weekend was beautiful though… the Mitton crew had a nice family getaway where we just “hung out” and spent time with each other. The sun shone on the lake and we enjoyed cool evenings under a full moon. On my way to work the other morning, the landscape was actually mesmerizing… a dense fog hovered over the corn fields, the sun was deep and orange as it climbed over the horizon to begin its day and the sky was quiet and fairy-forest like. Crazy. Soon the snow will cover the ground. Canadian weather keeps us on our toes. And Canadians have a habit of chatting about it all the time. It’s our small talk. And it’s what I am musing about this week.

My drive to work the other morning…

Have you ever thought about the difference between fog and mist? (Here’s a hint… it has to do with how far you can see). What about how rainbows are made? Why different snowflake shapes? Seasonal consequences like falling leaves, coastal tidal waves and hibernation? Hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms. Have you ever stopped to wonder about how we went from a planet of steady weather (before Noah’s flood) to an ever changing planet of potentially cataclysmic daily events? Not to mention hemispheres of constant weather like polar regions and deserts. Climate change aside, the weather serves to function perfectly to keep our world growing and changing. Seasons change and the natural world adapts and uses those changes to its full potential. Only God could design such a thing, I suppose.

Which adds the next level in my muse: How many times does the Bible reference “the weather”? I haven’t found a definitive answer, but there certainly is a lot of times verses mention weather, rain, wind, volcanoes, mist, storms… you name it, I am sure it’s in there. Consider Job 36:

26 “Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him;
Nor can the number of His years be discovered.
27 For He draws up drops of water,
Which distill as rain from the mist,
28 Which the clouds drop down
And pour abundantly on man.
29 Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds,
The thunder from His canopy?
30 Look, He scatters His light upon it,
And covers the depths of the sea.
31 For by these He judges the peoples;
He gives food in abundance.
32 He covers His hands with lightning,
And commands it to [h]strike.
33 His thunder declares it,
The cattle also, concerning [i]the rising storm.”

NKJV

Still, above all that, there is a God who is in charge of it all. One who can calm the storm and send fire and brimstone from the heavens… yet whispers in the still small voice of a misty morning. Do ya feel it, friend? Anyone can feel the power behind a crack of thunder just a little too close. We marvel at foggy days and rejoice under the warm sun of a summer day. We humans also benefit from God’s meteorology. We need the sun to warm our bodies and grow our food. We function under the cycles our earth creates. Anyone who works shifts knows how important night versus day is.

Jesus calms the storm

Perhaps God designed a mono-climate in the garden of Eden to keep things simple, but He certainly makes us aware of His presence these days with the crazy weather — which keeps us Canadians in plenty of choices for small talk. And so I encourage you — next time you’re sittin’ on the old porch chair chit chatting about the weather and the storm that’s rolling in… consider the source. Marvel at the mist. Listen to the still soft whisper in the wind. And know that there is a bigger God who calms the storm and designs each snowflake by hand.

RAIN

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It’s raining today.  That drizzly rain that just makes the whole day overcast and grey.  It’s clean-the-house-and-do-laundry-day and I am indoors scrubbing counters and finding Lost Socks  — so the rain hasn’t affected my plans much.  However, I’ve been thinking about the weather lately.  Maybe because we still have to take the snow tires off my van before they melt off in the current heatwave.  So much for spring; we jumped directly into summer here.   A few weeks ago we got iced over and had to dig out of more snow.  Yesterday, it was 25 degrees Celsius and we cursed the heat.  I guess this is why us Canadians talk about the weather so much… we can experience it all in a span of a week!  The rain is cool, though.  One minute drizzly and just “damp” like today… and then it can turn evil and dark and pound a beating into everything that lies beneath it’s path. The wind usually is a close partner with the rainstorm.  Many of our neighbours lost power this week, and some big, beautiful, old trees succumbed to the downpours.  My hubby licked his chops at all the free firewood that quickly became available.  It’s pretty amazing that with all our technology we still can’t totally harness the weather.  We need it to nourish our lands and produce our food.  Yet, it can wipe out crops and buildings in a flash flood.  Makes me muse:  God is truly in control.JessieRain

I learned a new word in preparing for this post.  A “pluviophile” is, according to the dictionary,  “a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.”  I might be one.  Thunderstorms don’t bother me either.  We are one of those crazy families who run out in the downpour, gets all soaking wet, and scares all the neighbours with our crazy hoots of laughter.  I have video proof of my boys doing just that.  No, I am not going to post it out of respect for my neighbours.  You can imagine it.  Three wildebeests splashing each other in the puddles like Max and his Wild Things, with no regard for the quiet character of our cul-de-sac.  Much more refined, (and thanks to a recent birthday) the girls and I now all have really cute and happy rubber boots — we will be fun “fashionistas” next storm.  Might show you that one on Instagram.  (I’m working on how to make those Instagram worthy pics like all the super-bloggers…. although I wish we had little ones still so they could have sharks or crocodiles or yellow duckies or something on their adorable little wellies… so cute they make these things now!  But I digress…)Rainboots

Besides the obvious story of Noah and the Ark… there are lots of references to rain and weird weather in the Bible.  It’s worth a search.  One that recently made me think a little, was Deuteronomy 28:12:  “The Lord will open up his heavenly storehouse so that the skies send rain on your land at the right time, and He will bless everything you do.”  Now, he’s talking to the Israelites and I’m not great at Old testament history and all their “blessings of everything they did” … so I am not going there.  The part that struck me was the “at the right time” blip.  Our lives are a journey of dry spells and some good soakings.  Deut28Rain comes at the right time… to nourish the land and cleanse it.  Spring is that rainy season that washes away the winter muck and brings us out again to meet our neighbours and taste and smell the “green”.  A little flowering wonderland happens after the rains.  We just have to wait for it.  Sometimes we are parched and dry and have to learn patience as we wait for the rain.  We worry and fret and wonder if all will ever work out like we plan.  Often, this is when we cry out to God and demand that He sends the rain again to quench our needs.  And He does… but in His time.

So, if you are a “pluviophile” like me and enjoy the peace of a rainy day, curled up with a great coffee and a book or some peaceful colouring, then remember that it is “at the right time” that you are there.  Enjoy your blessings and be thankful for them.  If you are patiently waiting for a good soaking and fretting a bit at the parched land you see around you right now, don’t fear my friends.  There is a great big God up there who is in control of the weather.  He’ll send some cooling rain soon.  And if you are in the middle of a scary, dark storm full of pounding rain that refuses to let go and you feel like you just might drown in it… grab some crazy friends and go hoot at the neighbours.  Wear your pretty polka-dot rubber boots.  God’s got it under control.AdiC.Rain

There are soo many great photos of rain!  And trust me, it’s hard to get some good shots of weather!  Today’s post contains only one of my own photos (the boots). The others were graciously loaned to me by two friends: Jessie Robins, a university student and new follower, and Adi C. a friend, blog supporter and great amateur photographer.  Blessings to you both!

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