Meteorology

January 28, 2019

We often tend to define life by the storms that break upon us instead of by the sunshine that brightens our way. I suppose it’s to be expected; “ordinary” is just that, and because it is, it blends in with all the other ordinary days of our lives. The fury of each storm however, is unique. The damage is not merely to people and things; our very souls are torn and beaten by them. 

Years ago when I was a seminary student, my theology professor, Dr. Paul Hessert, had done his doctoral work at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He was convinced that John Knox’s dour Presbyterianism was a direct result of the dark and dank Scottish weather. There could be some truth to that. Storms imprint themselves on our souls.

Meteorologists are telling us that a major cold front is moving into our area with subzero temperatures and bone-numbing wind chill. Like the Buffalo Blizzard of ‘77, this storm could become a defining event. But so could the calm preceding it. We’ve been given warning. We can prepare. The storm doesn’t have to define us.

The Bible gives ample notice of judgment to come. People don’t like to hear it, preferring the soothing message of love to the hard words of warning. But that warning is our hope; without it, we could plunge unknowingly to destruction. With it, there is the possibility of salvation. It is better to be forewarned of a coming disaster than to have it break upon us unexpectedly. If we take heed, life can be defined by the calm—the peace of God. Without it, life gets defined by the devastation brought by the storm. 

Even though meteorologists are often wrong, I am grateful for the warnings they give. They enable me to prepare, which enables me to ride out the storm in safety. Our divine meteorologist of the Scriptures are never wrong, and with its warning, I need not fear the storms of life.