God and the Weather #2

The last two days, the southern states experienced severe weather. There was high winds, rain and tornadoes.  There was lives and property lost to the weather in those states. One tornado was a few miles north of my mother-in-law in southern Oklahoma. This tornado eventually hit Tushka, Oklahoma. See Video.

At the same time, northwest Texas has multiple brush fires that has been burning for several days. The smoke from the fires has reached where I live here in College Station. See Picture.

This week, several area farmers has asked the members of their community to come together to pray for rain.    

They have organized a prayer rally tomorrow afternoon and expect the citizens to bring umbrellas.

So what do we make of droughts and tornadoes? Does these weather events come from the hand of God or some impersonal force?

Let's continue exploring the Book of Genesis.

• Genesis 19:24-25 - (God's judgment on sinners) Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
• Genesis 27:28 (Jacob receives blessing) May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.
• Genesis 27:39 (Esau receives cursing) Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high.
• Genesis 41:25-32 (God causes the famine) Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.