STORMY WEATHER

I Was Just Thinking About – STORMY WEATHER.

As I write this Blog, the National Weather Report indicates there will be Heavy Rain across the South; Icy Conditions in the Northeast; Heavy Snowfall in the Pacific Northwest; and lowest snowfall ever in Hawaii. There was an occasion when the Pharisees and Sadducees, always on the prowl to ensnare or entrap Jesus, challenged Him to show them a sign from heaven (Matthew 16:1). Could Jesus Christ have met that challenge? Yes! Instead, He confronts them with sayings from that day (and ours, as well) in Matthew 16:2-3, “When evening comes, you say: The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,  and in the morning: Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times!” What point will Jesus make? What is in His mind that He will convey to His detractors? Verse 3, Jesus’ response to them is: “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” How will they react to his response?  Verse 3, Jesus ends the discussion: Then He (Jesus) left them and went away.”

An obvious point is that Jesus always had the Scriptures in mind as He responded to different questions and made His declarations. Doubtlessly, one of the passages that the Pharisees and Sadducees should have known is Psalm 148:7-11 where reference regarding all Creation should bow and Praise the Lord. Verse 8 would cut to the heart of the challenge they had posed – “lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word.” Whose “word” is being fulfilled? Colossians 1:16-17 affirms, “For by Him (The Son) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through (by) him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Storms are not just referencing weather and nature. The storms of life can assail one physically and temporally. In a devotional for today titles “Storms”, Charles Swindoll included the following:  “What about the whirlwinds of disease, disaster, and death? What about the storms of interruptions, irritations, and ill-treatment? What about the heartrending contingencies of daily living. Life is filled with God-appointed storms.” In 1831, Hugh Stowell wrote the words:

From every stormy wind that blows,

From every swelling tide of woes,

There is a calm, a sure retreat;

’Tis found beneath the mercy seat.

I know of some who are facing momentous unknown physical needs in the immediate. While the concern is for all of those who are known, one man who means a great deal to me, Steve Sellers, has an important visit with a ENT tomorrow (Wednesday, February 13) to determine whether or not his cancer (that has been in remission for slightly more than 5 years) has returned. I have been and will be praying confidently in his behalf. Would you also pray for this dear man who is involved with and represents the Alabama Baptist Children’s Home and Ministry?  Thank you for doing so. God remains able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.