It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the Bible does not have one, simple answer to the question “How does God hold the wind and the rain in his hands?”
There are Hebrew Scriptures (aka Old Testament) that suggest weather is divine judgment (e.g., Genesis 6-8, 1 Kings 8: 35-36), divine blessing (e.g., Zechariah 10:1, Leviticus 26: 3-4), controlled directly by God (e.g., Jeremiah 51: 16), and established by providential wisdom (e.g., Job 28: 25-27). A D&F favorite is the story of Elijah meeting God at Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19: 11-13). The Lord was not in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in the voice that came to Elijah in the sheer silence that followed.
When Christians think about “God and weather” we may first recall the story of Jesus calming the storm (Matthew 8: 23-27; Mark 4: 35-41; Luke 8: 22-25). We, like the disciples on the storm-tossed boat, are awestruck by Jesus’ power. We may miss the verse “he rebuked the winds and the sea” (Matthew 8: 26b), as if the weather was a rambunctious child doing its own thing until it was scolded by Jesus.
Jesus offers some other insights on weather (italics added for emphasis):
In criticizing the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16: 2-3) he said, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, buy you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” So, it appears, even in Jesus’ day, the people had some basic meteorological skill in predicting the next day’s weather.
To Nicodemus (John 3: 8) he said, “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In Matthew (5: 44-45), he says “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” So, according to Jesus, God does not wield the weather as an instrument of favoritism.
So, how can we answer a child’s question, “How does God hold the wind and the rain in his hands?” in a way that is consistent with Jesus’ teachings and weather science?
Here’s an answer suitable for a 4-year-old:
“God is all-powerful and could control all the weather, all the time, in all places. But, God lets the weather make itself. The weather decides if it will be sunny or rainy. And weather scientists work to try to understand the weather.”
For an older child, the answer can be expanded…
“God is not a magician and didn’t create the world by magic; instead, God established a universe that obeys natural laws (like gravity). Within the boundaries of those natural laws, creation is allowed to create itself. The weather is allowed to make itself.
Rather than thinking of God as a puppet-master, magician, or dictator, it may be more helpful to think of God as a governor. God governs all of creation. A governor oversees a system that works according to law. A governor responds and intercedes as necessary.
Think about our home. We have daily functions and routines. In the morning, we wake, get dressed, eat breakfast, and brush our teeth. As your parent, I oversee those functions, but I don’t, for example, brush your teeth for you or micromanage every bite of your breakfast. But, if you were to start getting cavities, I perhaps would need to intercede and provide more help with your toothbrushing.”
For an even older child, expanded further…
“Like humans, nature, too, has been granted free will by God within the bounds of God’s laws. The weather functions through processes that have been ordained by God and founded on natural laws. Weather has regular patterns–order and predictability. The regular patterns that we call natural laws have their foundation in the regular, faithful governance of God.”
Inevitably, a conversation about “God and the weather” leads to “Why does God let bad things (like hurricanes) happen?” Exploring that question is a whole other topic, at least, but for our purposes here we can say simply this… “The God who created the universe and established it on natural laws is the same God who raised Jesus from the dead. God is our Creator and God is our Redeemer. No matter how bad things may seem today, new life and resurrection are always on the horizon.” What is most important for a child to understand is that God is with us even when the storms of life assail us. There is always hope.
Want to learn more about weather science. Check out our “Science Connections” to get started.
