For many folks the weather seems crazy. Homes in Joplin, Missouri, and in other parts of the United States lie in shambles after a thrashing by powerful tornadoes that left hundreds dead and caused billions of dollars in damage. In addition towns and farms along the Mississippi River have been devastated beneath a “100-year flood”—a flood level that is predicted to occur every 100 years on average. And by the way, a hurricane season that’s predicted to be above average is just around the corner. 

Elsewhere in the world the weather has also seemed out of balance. The prospects for the European wheat harvest are down because of drought, and in Russia drought and resulting forest fires are causing much concern. 

Instant access to the news exacerbates the opinion that our weather is strange. Nevertheless, history shows that events like these, while they seem unusual at this moment, have occurred in the past. 

The science of meteorology is the study of, and knowledge about, the atmosphere in which we live. From a human standpoint, Earth’s atmosphere is a blessing for life. However, the physical view of our atmosphere includes destructive conditions such as drought and major storms. Is there a way to get a sense of perspective and comfort in the face of destructive weather? 

There is promise in gaining a deeper, spiritualized understanding of our atmosphere. “In atmosphere of Love divine, / We live, and move, and breathe” is a line from a hymn in the Christian Science Hymnal (No. 144). Your first response might be, “Yeah, really!?!” How can this atmosphere, that appears so destructive at times, be seen from a spiritual viewpoint as benign and peaceful? 

The Bible’s first chapter gives a description of creation which stands up to logical scrutiny. It declares that “in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” It goes on, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. . . . And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:1, 27, 31). 

Heaven, Earth, and man are characterized as good, harmoniously coexisting without injury to one another. While not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, the atmosphere is assumed to be part of heaven and Earth. The Biblical provision for atmosphere is totally good. This provision is the basis for real meteorology which is natural and harmonious.

Heaven, Earth, and man are characterized as good, harmoniously coexisting without injury to one another.

Developing its logical description of creation, Genesis gives man dominion in these words, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (1:26). This God-bestowed dominion has a practical effect, as Mary Baker Eddy noted in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “The mariner will have dominion over the atmosphere and the great deep, over the fish of the sea and the fowls of the air” (p. 125).

Christ Jesus demonstrated this dominion so fully that he tamed the atmosphere. Fast asleep aboard ship during a storm, he was awakened by his disciples, who feared for their lives. As told by Luke, “He arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm” (8:24). His disciples were astonished at the event, but through Jesus’ teaching and example, they learned that he had faith in God to meet any human need. As described in Christian Science, he was practicing the power of divine Love over every material circumstance, and through this Science we can trust spiritual power over brute material force. 

Jesus expected his students and those who came afterward to apply the truths he taught in practical ways. John records him as saying, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12). While stilling the storm may seem a stretch, it is possible for disciples of today to witness God’s control through inspired prayer. 

So, there’s a recourse if your weather is crazy. If destructive storms threaten, it’s valid to turn to God for the calm that will lead to intelligent choices. Under God’s government, harmony does prevail, and we have a right to see evidence of that spiritual fact. By praying to see divine Love’s control, it’s possible that the winds and rain will resume their normal course. 

This trust in God rests not solely on hope, but also on the principle that all creation is God-made, God-directed, and goes beyond us to all those upon whom our thought rests.