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Over the weekend of 27-29 June 2008, a terrible, fast-moving storm hit Omaha, Nebraska, where I live. According to the National Weather Service, winds peaked at 115 mph! Many parts of the city looked like a war zone and over 130,000 people were without power. The Bible speaks much of God’s work and power evidenced in a storm (see Psalm 83:15; 107:29; Nahum 1:3 and, of course, Jesus in Mark 4:37 and Luke 8:23). The Bible also argues that radical, powerful changes in weather are used by God to teach and to reveal. Elijah made that point in his dealings with King Ahab. Jesus’ stilling the storm on the Sea of Galilee spoke volumes about His authority and power over nature. Throughout the US this summer, we have witnessed significant storms, flooding, and wildfires in the west due to the dry weather conditions there.
Several brief theological reflections:
- I cannot and will not be dogmatic on this, but is it possible that God is trying to get our attention? Is it possible that He is screaming to us through these examples of extreme weather that we are not autonomous, nor independent of our reliance on Him? Is it possible that He is trying to teach us that we are indeed utterly dependent on Him?
- Modern living is dependent entirely on technology: Computers, cell phones, I-pods, let alone all the appliances that need electricity. When the power company goes down due to a storm, we are virtually helpless, at least in terms of our technology. A storm like the one that hit Omaha reminded me of this reality about our lifestyle. We are not really that autonomous at all. We are wholly dependent on technology for our perceived autonomy, but take the power away and we see how totally dependent on God we really are.
- A summer like the one we are having now also demonstrates how interdependent we are as a people. When power is out or when there is flooding, people begin helping one another. We become aware that we need each other, that we can actually help one another through this catastrophe. That is not a bad thing to learn!
- Finally, a closing thought: In Omaha over that tragic week, we heard many speak of “being without power,” referring of course to electrical power. But, perhaps a better way to exegete that phrase is that we truly “are without power” in the ultimate sense of that term “power.” God has ultimate power and He demonstrated that again in the recent storm, in the flooding of the Mississippi River and in the horrific fires in the West. If we learn that lesson of dependence on His power, we have learned a valuable lesson indeed.
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