Weather forecasts and the illusion of control
It is that time of year when I need to plan what I want to do around the weather forecast. For the past few weeks, it has rained a little on most days and a lot on others. Outdoor activities have needed to be cancelled or moved around at times. Plans to do the washing have been delayed and the choice of clothes to wear has changed from day to day. I find myself checking the weather forecast often to see whether what I want to do the next day is possible or not.
Even with all of our modern technology, we cannot change what the weather will be tomorrow or in a few days’ time. The best we can do it have some idea what is coming. And even that is not very accurate past a couple of days. We don’t make plans and then change the weather to fit; all we can do is respond to what the weather is like.
It does often feel like we are in control of our plans for the week. After all, based on weather forecasts and other factors, we get to decide what we do on each day. But this is an illusion. We need to fit in to whatever weather we face day by day.
Life like general is like this, isn’t it? We don’t really know what will happen tomorrow or next week. We can plan with our diaries and to-do lists but, in the end, our plans will change. Maybe an opportunity will arise that we did not expect. Perhaps a tragedy of some kind will strike. The weather could prevent us doing what we wanted, or a health concern might arise. We are not in control of what happens next, as much as we might like to think we are. God is the King, not us.
We will need to respond to what happens, much like we move our plans around to match the weather. We will need to be humble enough to accept that plans change, often against what we would personally prefer. We will need to accept, like Job did, that we receive both good things and significant challenges under the hand of God.
This uncertainty about tomorrow doesn’t need to paralyse us because we know that God remains in control of tomorrow. I don’t know what will happen next week, but my faithful Father does, and I can trust that He is working all things for my good and His glory.
And, of course, long-term our God has told us where our lives and all of humanity is heading. Whatever happens in the short term, good or bad from our perspective, all who trust in Jesus are heading to a certain, beautiful eternity with our Father. That enables us to continue when our short-term plans don’t work the way we want them to. God’s plans always work out.