God and Weather

Over the years, I have been asked to pray for certain weather to happen or not happen. Usually, the requests have come from farmers or from folks who have scheduled important activities outdoors. I typically comply with the requests without actually thinking that my prayers influence the global weather patterns or that it matters to God whether the annual 'John Doe family' picnic gets rained out.

Over the course of the years, there has often been a conflict between the prayers I have offered. Such as, when a farmer in the congregation wants me to pray for one thing to happen - like rain - and another family wants the opposite to occur - like sunshine. I have prayed for both of them. And most often, one of them did take place.

In the past week, I have read of two people who evidently think there is a stronger connection between the weather patterns and divine prayer. A minister has seen the 'Hand of God' in the tornado that hit Minneapolis where the ELCA are struggling to resolve issues relating to homosexual clergy. This minister is certain that God was sending a strong message to the ELCA to repent of their sins and turn from their wicked ways. And, a governor of a southern state was saying this week that, since he has been praying for no hurricane to hit his state - including having prayers placed at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, no hurricanes have hit his state.

I guess both of these men have more spiritual power and insight than I do. It seems to me that I remember reading about someone who said it rains on the just and the unjust alike, certainly suggesting that weather patterns are not used by God as punishment or reward. Maybe that person was not as spiritual as these two men either.