Mother Nature?

          Twice today, within about two minutes, I heard two different people on TV
     say something like, "well, it's up to 'mother nature.'   They were talking about
     the hot weather and its effects on farmers and their crops, and just people being
     outside in general.

          I'm old enough to remember the old Chiffon margarine commercial which had
     a woman portraying the character 'mother nature.'  When told she was eating
     margarine when she thought she was eating butter, she would say, "it's not nice
     to fool 'mother nature.' "
  
          I know that she was just a fictional character on TV, but for some reason that
     name 'mother nature' just rubbed me the wrong way.  It's as if people are em-
     barrassed to say the word "God," so they just refer to the LORD, who is in charge of
     the weather (and everything else in the world) by another name.

          Long ago, in many cultures, goddesses were worshipped by the people, and even
     though I don't think anybody is worshipping 'mother nature' when they use that name
     today, I still think we should give God the credit (and sometimes we might wrongly
     say the blame) for what He does.

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          The Bible tells us that it's God who sends the rain and sunshine.

                                            (Jesus said), " He (God the Father) causes His sun
                                            to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on
                                            the righteous and the unrighteous."
                                                                                      John 5:45


          Jesus calmed the storm with just a few words.  Even the winds and waves
     obeyed Him.

                                           "He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the
                                            waves, 'Quiet!  Be still!'  Then the wind died
                                            down and it was completely calm."
                                                                                      Mark 4:39


          God the Father has given Jesus the power over "all things."

                                           "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the
                                             exact representation of His being, sustaining
                                             all things by His powerful word."
                                                                                      Hebrews 1:3a


          God sent hail and thunder and lightning on Egypt to show His power to
     Pharaoh and also the Israelites, whom He protected.

                                          "... the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt:
                                           hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. 
                                           The only place it did not hail was the land of
                                           Goshen, where the Israelites were."
                                                                                            Exodus 9:23-24, 26


          God put the land of Egypt in darkness, while the Israelites had light.

                                           "Then the LORD said to Moses,' Stretch out your
                                             hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread
                                             over Egypt -- darkness that can be felt.  ... total
                                             darkness covered Egypt for three days.... Yet
                                             all the Israelites had light in the places where they
                                             lived."
                                                                                          Exodus 10:21, 23


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          God is sovereign, in total control of everything -- even tornadoes, hurricanes,
     and earthquakes, which sometime can cause the loss of many lives.

          We don't always know why these things happen, but God has a purpose for
     each one.   If he isn't in control of these disasters then He is not sovereign, and
     if He is not sovereign over these things of nature, then He is not truly sovereign.
     What else might not be under His control?  The actions of believers and unbelievers?
     Our salvation and preservation?


                                                       **********


          Yes, God is in control of everything, including the weather. 
     All of us have at one time or another, complained about it too.  It may be too hot or
     too cold, but when we do fuss about it what are we really doing, even if we don't
     realize it?


          Author and theologian, A.W. Pink said this about God and His sovereignty over
     the weather:

                                    "Truly, then, God governs inanimate matter.  Earth and air,
                                      fire and water, hail and snow, stormy winds and angry seas,
                                      all perform the word of His power and fulfill His sovereign
                                      pleasure.  Therefore, when we complain about the weather,
                                      we are, in reality, murmuring against God."


          Most of us probably never thought of it that way.  Even though I know it's not
     the worst thing in the world, maybe we shouldn't complain about the weather,
     because God has a purpose for it being as hot or cold as it is, even if we don't know
     what that purpose is.


                                                       **********


          So, the next time we're tempted to blame or credit "mother nature" for the weather,
     perhaps we should remember who is really in charge.


                                                   "He who forms the mountains,
                                                    creates the wind, and reveals
                                                    His thoughts to man, He who
                                                    turns dawn to darkness, and
                                                    treads the high places of the
                                                    earth -- the LORD God Al-
                                                    mighty is His name."
                                                                           Amos 4:13