Disasters and The Church

I have had many close calls with death, from having guns pointed at me to being electrocuted. When Arthur Godfrey was asked about his favorite kind of weather, after surviving the shells of German artillery, he responded,“I just like weather.”

I concur; it's just great to be alive. I love the phrase,“Every day is a gift from God. That's why we call it 'The Present.'”

Nevertheless, as it is in the natural so it is in the spiritual. Just as there are storms of life, so there are storms upon the earth.

We don't ALWAYS like the weather, do we? The recent storms in Florida and Georgia and the Northeastern United States have left millions without power during the midst of a summer heat wave. Minnesota has received 25 inches of rain in 6 weeks. Loss of lives and property damage have turned beauty into ashes as places needing rain desperately aren't receiving any at all.

Do weather patterns have spiritual causes? I believe so. Deuteronomy 28:12 tells us seasonal rain is a blessing for obedience. Solomon prayed, "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against Thee..." (2 Chronicles 6:26). Elijah prophesied a drought and literally stopped the rain for 3-1/2 years as a judgment of God for Israel's revolt against the rightful King, Jesus Christ.

Sure, it rains on the just and the unjust. I have, personally, commanded storms to leave us alone and have witnessed tornadoes that have skirted our neighborhood and hail stones that destroyed other people's property while leaving ours unscathed.

I will always remember the night my wife and I were remodeling our home while a severe storm was bearing down on Arlington, Texas, about 2 hours away. We have both lived in that city and still have friends and family there. Our TV was on while I was hammering in the other room and I felt the Spirit directing me to go outside and pray against that storm.

I ignored the urge.

Three times.

I was busy, after all.

Finally, I got up on my feet and told my wife about the directive I'd been receiving. She agreed to join me outside to pray. On our way out, we stopped to see weather warning as a massive red blob was converging upon Arlington. We continued outside and sat down in our lawn chairs, facing the direction of that city, the black clouds flickering with every lightning strike in the distance. What a light show!

After we'd prayed, there was the weatherman on TV, showing the map, amazed at what was on the screen. The giant red blob had been replaced with a smaller, yellow blob! The severe weather warning had been replaced with nothing more than a much-needed rainy night.

I have had several other experiences of that kind. Rather than share these stories, I prefer to share this: God is no respecter of persons. He loves you just as much as He loves Jesus. He isn't mad at you and desires to advance His Kingdom with anyone willing to serve in that capacity.

Some destructive weather is made worse by its impact on civilization. Americans love the forest and the ocean so much we have to build fancy homes and impressive resorts and businesses right there, despite knowing an area's high propensity for wildfires, hurricanes or quakes.

As Believers, we have been given authority, by Jesus, over all creation, including the weather. The problem? We cannot use that authority to nullify the judgments of God, so we have to be sensitive to His voice in all matters. In other words, just as Jesus exemplified, we should exercise authority over the weather only as the Spirit leads. The temptation is to step out in presumption rather than in faith. In John Paul Jackson's book,“Needless Casualties of War,”he shared a story of the many dead trees and vegetation he saw in a coastal area after Christians there began praying against a hurricane. Possessions and lives were spared while nature suffered from the lack of water.

As the years have passed, I believe our authority has decreased because of the lawlessness -in the country and in The Church - has brought this upon us. Not to mention the fact there is so little equipping and understanding of these things. Many Christians fall prey to everything the world has to offer, never even thinking to pray against the weather, or to ask God if they should. In many cases, our lives are so cluttered and distracted, we cannot even hear His voice, even if He DID command that we pray against a storm or wildfire. Remember, all Believers have the right to declare, and expect, personal Divine protection. We do this every day in my house. We're“Preppers,”but so were Noah, Joseph, King David and MANY others in the Bible. In fact, the call to do anything for God is actually a call to PREPARE. Jesus did it. 


Are YOU prepared?

Yes, in these days of increased disasters, it's good to remember we have authority over tornados and hurricanes, too. Scripture assures us we will go through floods and not drown and go through fires and not be burned (Isaiah 43:2). Jesus modeled this authority when He calmed the storm in the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:39). Bear in mind the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in US (Romans 8:11). He said,“Greater things than I do will you do because I go to the Father,” (John 14:12)

We don't hear these things often enough.

Our Father has used these weather experiences as a means for teaching me how to hear His voice and increase my faith. My prayer is that, perhaps as a result of reading this simple message, many others would exercise their faith, too, and, in doing so, spare lives and property while winning souls as a result.

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work