Gathering the wind
THERE is a popular expression, ``Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it!'' Can something be done about the weather? The Psalmist wrote, speaking of God's power, ``Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.''1 In the book of Proverbs we read, ``Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists?''2 Isn't it clear from the Bible that God governs the universe?
Christ Jesus' experience on the storm-tossed Sea of Galilee provides a clear example of this divine government. The Master trusted his Father's will in all things. He knew that God's purpose for His offspring includes only good. Realizing God's control, he ``rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.''3
The works that Jesus performed are considered by many to have been miraculous. But the teachings of Christian Science, in harmony with the Bible, bring out the fact that God's provision for His creation, including His spiritual likeness, man, is always good, never evil. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, ``A miracle fulfils God's law, but does not violate that law.''4
Because, as the Bible teaches, God is the one supreme power, infinite, omnipresent Love, the law of Love is the only real law governing man, and a clear perception of this reality can have a powerful healing impact.
Recently I had occasion to see how the realization of God's ever-presence and omnipotence can be practically demonstrated. I was on a business trip with another individual from our firm. As we began our drive, we encountered strong, gusty winds. The weather forecast indicated that this condition was expected to continue for several hours. Our route lay along the area that was to have the most severe winds, and the highway patrol was issuing traveler's advisories.
When we stopped for dinner, the waitress expressed concern for our well-being. She advised us to delay our journey until the wind subsided. While it's often wise to heed such recommendations, my associate and I both felt the need to continue our journey in order to keep an extremely important appointment. As we drove along the highway, we saw overturned trucks and trailers. The wind buffeted our car, and tumbleweeds blew past us at windshield height.
For guidance I turned my thought to God in prayer in order to realize more clearly His presence and power. As I did so, I thought of the definition of wind in the Glossary of Science and Health. Part of it reads, ``That which indicates the might of omnipotence and the movements of God's spiritual government, encompassing all things.''5 I reasoned that if we were surrounded by ``the might of omnipotence,'' we could in no way experience anything but good. God's law of harmony and order was present in spite of the evidence to the contrary. Because God ``gathered the wind in His fists,'' the wind could not be harmful or destructive to His loved offspring.
As I thought along these lines, I momentarily felt a sense of detachment from my surroundings. It was then that I realized that the wind had stopped rocking the car. The man I was traveling with said that it was as though someone had turned off the wind.
I was momentarily surprised by the sudden change in the weather. But I saw then that I could gratefully accept God's all-power and all-presence as normal and natural, and we completed our journey in safety.
To the extent that we understand that man is governed by God, divine Love,we need not be helpless before the vagaries of material conditions -- even the weather.
1Psalms 89:9. 2Proverbs 30:4. 3Matthew 8:26. 4Science and Health, p. 134. 5Ibid.,p. 597.
You can find more articles like this one in the Christian Science Sentinel, a weekly magazine. DAILY BIBLE VERSE: Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!...He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Psalms 107:21,29