If you are like I am, you have a weather app or two on your phone. The Weather channel, local TV stations and some national radar apps tell us what is happening in virtually any part of the globe at any given moment. In fact, sometimes when I pass through an area, I somehow continue to get weather updates for months afterward.
With hurricane season, I also get updates on all the new storms that are forming and when they turn into destructive forces. Of course, I also get notified when they start to dissipate and wind down – no longer being a hazard to people or property.
But several days ago, I received a notice on my phone that I have never seen before. It simply said, “Beautiful weather alert!” Imagine my surprise. I have received all kinds of alerts – and even the word “alert” evokes warning and that we should pay attention because something noteworthy is happening. But I have never received an alert for good weather ahead. Admittedly, it brought a smile to my face…
With all the trauma that people have experienced during the election and the start of the holiday season, I think I can pretty much say that we are all grateful for the chance to get outside and enjoy some great weather – at least here in the midwest. Today, it was 78 degrees, dry and sunny. We had the sunroof open on the car, took a ride around town, stopped for a coffee, had the car washed and a variety of other little jaunts that were possible as a result of God’s wonderful surprise to us with the weather.
And that’s the beauty of some of God’s surprises. They are totally unexpected and, suddenly, the world is in a much better place…
Oddly, the Scripture doesn’t have much to sat about weather. There are several references to rainbows – one before a storm, one during a storm and one after a storm – as well as references to rain, the Flood, what it was like in the desert – but that’s pretty much it…
In fact, the word “weather” only appears once in most translations of the Bible. And it is in reference to a saying that most of us know – a paraphrase of Scripture. Remember the old song that went, “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight but a red sky in morning, sailors take warning?” Well, that’s pretty much right from the book of Matthew, the tax collector who wrote the gospel bearing his name.
Tonight’s verse is from the 16th chapter of the first book of the New Testament. We are told, in Matthew 16:1-3, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, 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 you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”
Jesus is trying to teach the Jewish leaders that they seem to be able to discern what the weather will be like based on how the sky looks. But even though they have seen the “signs” of Jesus right in front of them, they don’t seem to be able to realize the importance of Jesus. In reality, the Jewish leaders never did understand the importance of Jesus back in the day… My encouragement tonight is that God sends us more surprises than most of us are aware of because we aren’t trained to look for these divine surprises.
My prayer is that we may rejoice in the surprises that God sends our way and, in the meantime, enjoy this great weather for another several days before the season catches up with us! Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…