Whatever the weather - pray
Some questions need careful answers. Consider this one.
'Are August wash outs the new norm?!'
Dry, sunny Augusts could be thought of as out of character because they seem to happen less! August was a wet month with rainfall above average - and temperatures below normal. 100 years ago, in 1917, the rains in August turned the battlefields of Passchendaele into a sea of mud and water: the media have recently represented the atrocious catastrophe of that event in the first world war.
It was said, 'the rain fell with pitiless persistence.' There are, of course, times when it is also true that, 'the sun shines with pitiless persistence.' In some parts of the world, there is seldom rain and there is no green growth. 100 years ago, in California, temperatures reached heights of 49 degrees Celsius for 43 consecutive days; between July 6th and August 17th. It gave the area the name of Death Valley. Here in Wales, a temperature of 30 degrees makes us wilt!
Extremes are difficult to cope with. If the rain continues to fall, remember the old Grace - For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful.
A hot Spring, followed by a wet Summer, might well usher in an Autumn of supreme colour and climate. I read another account of an anniversary which included adverse climate conditions. In World War II, the Nation observed 7 National days of prayer. Churches were crowded with people, praying to God for His help and protection. Following one of those Prayer days, when Hitler had massed barges and 50,000 men for the land invasion of Britain, a terrific storm blew the barges away. On the day Hitler had chosen for his next invasion, an earthquake below the Atlantic sea bed threw his ships 80 miles off course; channel storms forced him to abandon the invasion, again.
In Psalm 20 there are these words,
'May God answer you when you are in distress.
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May He send you help from the sanctuary,
and grant you support from Zion.'
In this changeable weather, advice must be, 'Don't leave home without your umbrella.' Equally necessary advice is, 'Where ever you go, and whatever you do, make sure you go with prayer.!'
