Who's in Charge? Thankful That the God of Wisdom and Love Is In Charge . . . and that He Loves Us!

I have been frustrated recently with the weather. It’s not so much the Florida heat. Nor even the rain. But the lightning has kept me from fishing and golfing.

I have been trying to honor the many requests I’ve had to take people fishing. So, on Sunday, July 7, I took my nephew, Jayden Pruim, fishing in a favorite lake on Sunday afternoon after worship. We were doing really well. He caught a nice bass on his second cast. I had a number of bites and caught a fish myself. The weather report had predicted a small chance of rain, followed by a nice evening. However, the clouds built as we fished. The sky grew darker, and we started to hear thunder as the clouds approached us. I told Jayden we should get off the water for safety and maybe the storm would pass. Instead, we saw lightning as we reached shore and the storm simply settled in place and grew larger. Then, as we pulled the boat out, the thunderstorms were now supposed to last for 2 ½ hours more, almost to dark. Unfortunately, even though the fish were biting, we were on the water less than an hour. Frustrating!

I tried again the following Sunday. Originally the forecast had predicted rain for the afternoon of July 14. But, as I drove home my weather app now predicted clouds, but no rain. I stopped for lunch and ran into Chuck Brabham and family. Way back last fall Chuck and I had talked about fishing together. I told Chuck, “I’m going fishing this afternoon, if you want to come with me.” Well, on the way the forecast changed, again! Nevertheless, we got onto the lake and the fish started to bite right away. I caught a couple of fish, and Chuck missed some. But the sky quickly grew threatening. We heard some rumbles. We took out the rain gear. Unfortunately, we soon saw a flash of light, followed by a loud crash. We packed up quickly and got off the lake. When we docked, we saw a bolt of lightning. Earlier, as we had launched the boat, the water was glassy as I have seen it. The wind picked up and the waves lapped against the shore. We had been out of the water less than an hour, even though the fish were biting. Frustrating!!

I had better hopes for Monday, July 15. I had a regular noon tee time for golf with friends. Yes, storms were forecast to start after 4:00 p.m., but we figured we would be finished by then. However, around the second hole, dark clouds started to build. On the third hole I told the guys, “I can golf in the rain, but if I see lightning I’m gone.” I am not a great golfer, but on Monday I was playing well. I had two pars and two bogeys through the first 4 holes. I missed a short putt for a par on hole 5, but was still 2 strokes under bogey golf. That’s good for me. Yet, the rumbles grew more frequent. Then, standing on the tee for the parr 5 number 6 hole, a bolt of lightning flashed at the end of the fairway. We quickly drove our carts back to the parking lot. Just as soon as I had put my gear in my car, returned the golf cart, and shut my door, the heavens opened up. It was only a little after 1:00, not 4:00 p.m. Nevertheless, the rain lasted most of the afternoon, and with the lightning, we were blessed with a couple of inches of rain. I thought I would get my golf game in on Monday, but lightning again spoiled my plans. It was extremely frustrating!!!

Just before we saw the lightning on the golf course, my friend Greg Winkler sort of joked, “Come on, Rock! You’ve got an in with the Big Guy. Can’t you do something about the weather?” (Truthfully, I related these 3 long stories about lightning in order to get to Greg’s words.) I’ve had people ask me that kind of question before. It is worth considering how a child of God answers such questions.

In all honesty, I do pray each day, often many times. But, in my prayers I am not telling the Lord what to do. I ask for His wisdom and grace and love, and then I wait on His answer. I am not God. HE is. I’m not in charge. The Lord God is Ruler of all!

When I pray I trust that God hears all my prayers, and that He always answers. I also trust that my Lord is wiser than I am. I trust He loves me. Among many other words of Scripture, I believe my Lord’s words in Romans. “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32) God has lovingly taken care of my eternity at the cost of Jesus’ life. THAT is why I trust Him. That is why I trust HIM to answer my prayers. I trust my Lord’s wisdom and love, to care for me in this life, as well as eternally.

In truth, I did pray Monday on the golf course. I prayed silently that the Lord would keep us safe. And He answered that prayer. Thankfully, God is Lord. Thankfully, HE is in charge. He is wiser and more powerful than I am. He gave His Son in love. He answers prayers in grace and wisdom.

“Come on, Rock! You’ve got an in with the Big Guy. Can’t you do something about the weather?” I am trusting My Lord’s wisdom, and power, and love.