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"Nature's gone crazy," claims Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the private service Weather Underground. Citizens were shocked in January 2025 by the wildfires around Los Angeles. The Palisades fire lasted 24 days evacuating 105,000 people, losing 7,000 homes, and charring 24,000 acres. In addition the Eaton Canyon fire destroyed about 9,000 homes. We are not alert to the 4,423 other California fires so far this year.
The second major disaster story centered around what USA Today termed "The Year of the Flood." The tragic July 4th flooding in central Texas was "the deadliest flash flood in at least 50 years in the US." Dangerous thunderstorms across the nation wreaked havoc. In addition, hurricane season is upon us.
Ominous circumstances have been blamed on climate change, shifts in the jet stream and the fact that there is a solar eclipse somewhere on earth every 18 months.
To these fears pastors can bring both needed historical and Biblical perspective.
We shouldn't be surprised.
Weather events are unpredictable. Denver's driest year on record was 2002. Some assumed that this would precede a long stretch of drought. But 2003 was one of Denver's wettest years.
In 1972, Hurricane Agnes stormed up the east coast dropping 17 inches of rain in five days causing vast areas of flooding. In comparison few remember that on July 17, 1942, a storm deluged McKean County in northern Pennsylvania with 34 and one-half inches of rain from the sky in just 12 hours!
Why were sand boxes placed on locomotives? According to the Tribune Review, it wasn't snow and ice that necessitated that innovation. Rather, it was a grasshopper plague in 1836 that covered the ground and tracks causing metal wheels to slip even in flat eastern Pennsylvania. In 2002, in many states west of the Mississippi River, highway officials erected signs saying "Slow down, slick roads." The reason... up to 200 grasshoppers per square meter.
In preparing for a recent pilgrimage to Scotland, I reminded participants to be prepared for strong winds on the coasts and islands. According to a TIME-LIFE book on wilderness areas, on the isle of Barra the wind once blew a fish to the top of a 630-foot cliff and moved a 42-ton block of rock five feet.
We shouldn't be stupid.
Death Valley received its name for a reason. It is an almost uninhabitable place. Before the invention of air conditioning, the population was much lower in the hottest regions of the USA. In the past, fewer also lived in flood zones. If they did, they risked regular times of destructive waters and also were forced to have expensive flood insurance to obtain a mortgage loan.
Even those making their living by dangerous livelihoods try to respect the weather.
But according to Smithsonian.com in the Shetland Islands in 1881, "In one afternoon about 80 percent of the men and boys of the Shetlands drowned. A whole bunch of little communities never recovered."
Native Americans seemed more aware of weather dangers and moved from place to place with the seasons to avoid misfortunes and famine. While food is important, Amos 8:11 alerts us that the most dangerous famine occurs when people refuse to feed on the Word of the LORD.
We shouldn't be selfish.
According to World Vision, 45 million people in 37 nations risk starvation because of drought. These tragedies get little attention from regular newscasts.
Many of us desire that every day be sunny and between 70 and 80 degrees. In Israel, the locals pray for enough rain and often say they hope that God doesn't heed the prayers of the tourists for perfect vacation weather.
George Will in his column of April 23, 2016, reminds us that we live in a fairly pleasant era. In the northern hemisphere, the period from the ninth through the thirteenth century is labeled the Medieval Warm Period while the era from 1640 through the 1690s is called the Little Ice Age. In 1816, according to the Weekly Recorder frost and snow occurred every month of the year in the northeast USA.
The Ogallala Aquifer which stretches from South Dakota to Texas is being drained eight times faster than rainfall can replenish it. While current farm usage brings healthy cattle and fruitful crops, those farms within that area may soon vanish and communities dwindle.
Perhaps this will lead to another "Dust Bowl" in our Midwest where in the 1930s skies were darkened as far as Washington DC. So much dust settled in Kansas that automobile roofs were dented in by the weight of the dust.
We should be alert but not afraid.
There will always be changes in weather. Just as Jesus calmed the water on the Sea of Galilee, the Lord today brings seasons of calm. From 2007 until 2017, no severe Atlantic hurricanes had occurred. Deuteronomy 33:27 assures us that in the most tragic moments of life, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." I Thessalonians 4:17 (RSV) reminds us that no matter whether we are dead or alive "we shall always be with the Lord."
Professor Jacques Ellul declared, "For the Christian the future is more certain then the present."
 | Jim Farrer is the founder of Vital Signs Church Consulting and a member of the Society for Church Consulting. A broadly-trained church consultant, Jim is also a veteran of ministry positions in Canada and the U.S., he has trained leaders from 18 denominations and led seminars and coaching sessions nationwide. His articles have been published in the Journal of Evangelism and Missions and the Great Commission Research Journal. You can reach him by e-mailing revup1@yahoo.com or calling 814 629-5211. Learn More » |
This isn’t just another leadership book—it’s your invitation to discover how Christ-centered questions can transform the way you lead and live. Packed with real stories and timeless wisdom, it shows you how to grow your influence, deepen your faith, and lead with the same life-changing impact Jesus did.
 | Christian Muntean is a seasoned expert in fostering business growth and profitability. With a Master's … |
 | Dr. Matthew Fretwell is a church missiologist, professor, trainer, author, and practitioner. He currently serves … |
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