| HIGHLIGHTS OF DAWN | November 1998 |
He Maketh the Storm a Calm
PSALM 107:29
THE YEAR 1998 has been the year of El Niño. This is the Spanish name for a weather phenomenon that was frequently seen in newspaper headlines as the weather effects of El Niño lashed the United States. El Niño is caused by a stream of warm water which flows to the surface of the Pacific Ocean just southwest of Peru. This year, weather patterns in the United States were severely altered by the phenomenon. Heavy rains caused flooding in the west, south, and southwest. In the northeast it was a mild winter, but with above normal precipitation. Desert areas that normally do not receive any rain were flooded. This El Niño was classified as the strongest of the century.
EFFECTS OF EL NIÑO
The effects of the El Niño season has been loss of crops in California because of flooding and delayed spring planting in farmlands in other parts of the United States, resulting in increased food prices. Insects (pests) have increased during the summer because of wet conditions and less winterkill. More crop damage is expected. Sudden changes in seawater temperatures may result in a large fish kill in the ocean. Marine life off the coast of Peru has already been affected.
El Niño generates storms in the Pacific Ocean. These have a favorable bearing on the hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. When El Niño is present these hurricanes are not as devastating. As the El Niño season ends, farther south in the Pacific Ocean La Niña can be generated. Storm cells were reported in August in this area. These storms have an opposite effect on the Atlantic hurricane season, causing them to be more severe.
INCREASING DISASTERS
A technical journal recently published in graphic format the increasing number of natural catastrophes which were mainly related to weather. (The only exception in the list was volcanic activity.) The caption said, “Since 1960, the number of weather related great natural catastrophes has increased worldwide.” Another graphical presentation showed economic losses in billions of dollars per year, and the caption read: “Worldwide economic losses from great natural catastrophes have escalated since the mid-1970’s.” The graph showed a sevenfold increase in losses (all figures corrected for inflation) from 1960 to 1996. These losses included landslides, forest fires, frost and heat waves, droughts, hail, windstorms, and flooding.
The Prophet Daniel prophesied: “At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.” (Dan. 12:1) The ‘time of trouble’ will be upon the social order of earth, and the “earth” spoken of in II Peter 3:10 is a symbol for the order prevailing on earth. “The elements shall melt with fervent heat,” symbolizes the effect on the elements of our society such as financial, educational, religious, social, and military. An increase in natural catastrophes are not associated with this trouble, but it may be possible to view these as part of God’s “judgments … in the earth.”—Isa. 26:9
The Bible uses natural catastrophes as illustrations of trouble. For example, when the Prophet Elijah was sent to Mt. Horeb, he saw a mighty wind rend the mountain, followed by an earthquake and fire. (I Kings 19:11,12) The wind represented war; the earthquake, social revolution; the fire, anarchy. All these are parts of the great trouble at the end of the age. Perhaps the increase in natural catastrophes and the damage they do is a sign of the proximity of God’s kingdom.
WHO CAN CONTROL WEATHER?
There is an adage which says: “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one can do anything about it.” This is true. We must accept whatever occurs on that part of the earth where we live. The only one who can do anything about the weather is God, and those delegated by him with this power.
The Prophet Job recognized God’s power and answered the question, “Where shall wisdom be found?” (Job 28:12) First he tells of the great value in wisdom, and how only God knows the place where it can be found, citing God’s great Creative powers. “God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof [of wisdom]. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; to make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder.”—Job 28:23-26
In this text, attention is drawn to the elements of weather: the wind, water, rain, including lightning and thunder. Man can do nothing about these; he can only seek shelter from a severe storm. Finally Job said, “Unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28) Hence true wisdom and understanding comes from reverence for God as well as for his plans and purposes.
Man is utterly dependent on air, sunshine, water, rainfall, and nutrients of the earth for the sustenance of life. These are controlled by God. Since man has had to till the soil to raise crops for his food, he has had to add nutrients to the soil and has hoped for rain to water his crops. God, in giving Job a quiz on his great Creative powers, asked Job: “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain, and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man; to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground put forth grass?”—Job 38:25-27, Revised Standard Version
There are many places in the earth that have no caretaker, yet vegetation grows because of rain and thunderstorms. Lightning is responsible for converting inert nitrogen in the atmosphere into a useful nutrient form of nitrogen for the soil. It has been estimated that thunderstorms on the face of the earth produce more nitrogen fertilizer than all the chemical fertilizer produced in the world.
Weather phenomena, including sun, wind, rain, thunderstorms, are all essential to life on earth; but hurricanes and violent storms are not. These latter occur because we live on an imperfect earth, in an imperfect society, in which there is little reverence for God among imperfect men. At present, all receive the effects of weather alike. As Jesus said, “… that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”—Matt. 5:45
WEATHER IN GOD’S KINGDOM
In God’s kingdom there will be a change in weather patterns to benefit the good and penalize the evil. (Zech. 14:17) Violent storms will become a thing of the past. Our theme text says, ‘He maketh the storm a calm’. (Ps. 107:29) The psalm speaks about the distress and trouble suffered by different classes of people being developed in this present evil world, who cry to the Lord in their trouble. The Lord hears their cries and brings them out of their distress. The symbolic portrayal of the great time of trouble at the end of the Gospel Age by a violent storm is most appropriate. The trouble, however, will not endure forever, because God’s intervention will make it a ‘calm’ with kingdom blessings for all.
During our Lord’s ministry this illustration was demonstrated in events following the preaching of the Gospel message to the people in Galilee. When he decided to cross the Sea of Galilee to the other side, and after the boat was launched, he fell asleep. A violent storm arose, or as the text describes it, “there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.” (Luke 8:22-24) This was a dramatic fulfillment of Psalm 107:29.
Jesus then questioned his disciples’ faith, asking, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25) But his disciples were so awed by what had happened that they said one to another, “What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.” (vs. 25) Never before had they seen or heard of any man who could make a storm a calm as Jesus did on this occasion.
When the trouble at the end of the age ceases, God will say, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10) This is why Jesus asked the question about faith. All of God’s people must have faith in the establishment of God’s kingdom, no matter how severe the trouble may become.
STORMS OF LIFE
This lesson extends to our walk in life as followers of the Master. There are severe storms encountered by every Christian, difficult experiences of all types. In such situations we should pray to God and he will send relief. We cannot avoid the storms of life, just as we cannot avoid weather patterns that come upon us. However, we can prepare to withstand any storm that comes if we obey Jesus and his Father, and apply the principles of God’s Word.
At the conclusion of our Lord’s well-known sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matt. 7:24-27) Jesus gave a most powerful lesson to demonstrate that Christian survival in the present storms of life depends on proper building of our lives on the principles of God’s Word.
Soon the present storms of life, and all the natural storm catastrophes endured by mankind, will come to an end. The Prince of Peace will calm the troubled seas and bring a great calm to all of earth’s inhabitants. Instead of the hysteria of evil will come the calm of good. What a blessing that will be!
Let us never cease to pray for God’s wonderful kingdom.