http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Heb%2013:5&version=NIV1984
http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=Jesus+Christ%2C+yesterday&qs_version=NIV1984
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2034:18&version=NIV1984
When I was a child one of the many interests I had was the weather. Being curious and wanting to learn, I did what I always did. I checked books out of the public library. On weather. And read them. Then I got myself a composition notebook. With the standard black & white cover of those days. Inside I began to keep a log of the weather each day. The temperature. The condition of the sky. Sunny. Cloudy. Foggy. The types of clouds. Cirrus. Stratus. Cumulus. One thing I always wanted (but never got) was an anemometer. An anemometer measures wind speed.
For Christmas this year my wife bought me an automated weather station. It has a sensor outside that transmits the weather conditions to the indoor station. At the top it records the current temperature outside as well as the humidity. It also keeps track of the high and low temperatures for the day. At the bottom of the weather station is the indoor information. Current temperature and humidity. And current time and date. In the center is the current weather condition outside, notated by symbols. Then, just to the right of that, is the barometer. The barometer measures barometric pressure. This is very important because it says a lot about the weather you are currently having. And will have in the near future.There are 3 main readings of the barometer. Rising. Falling. Steady. That’s it. A rising barometer means that a high pressure system in approaching. A high pressure system always means good weather. A falling barometer means that a low pressure system is approaching. A low pressure system always means bad weather. A steady barometer means more of the same weather pattern that you’re already in. The faster that the barometer changes (going either up or down) the faster the weather pattern will change. Now, as I said, when the barometric pressure goes up, the weather is good. Sunny. Lack of wind. These are the gorgeous days that we enjoy in the summer. However, when the barometric pressure goes down, trouble is ahead. Thunderstorms. Snow storms. The lower the pressure goes, the worse the weather gets. Severe thunderstorms. Blizzards. Tornadoes. Hurricanes.
As I proudly looked at my weather station one night and saw the barometer I thought of how it was just like life. Life is basically a series of highs and lows. The highs can be moderate. Such as having a good day at work. Or celebrating a birthday. Or enjoying a day off. Or the highs can be very high. Graduation. Getting married. The birth of a child. Landing the job of our dreams. The same is true about the lows. A moderate low can be a day sick with the flu. Or having a bad day at work. Or having an argument with someone. And the really low days can be devastating. Getting fired. Getting divorced. Getting cancer. The death of a loved one. In between all of these highs and lows are the ‘steady’ days. Ordinary days that aren’t too good or too bad. Just run-of-the-mill.
In the same way that we have no choice about the kind of weather that we experience (short of moving to a particular climate, which even then can be unpredictable) we don’t have much choice over the happenings in our lives. Throughout life we vacillate between a series of highs and lows. Sometimes we have a good day. Sometimes we have a bad day. Sometimes we have a good week. Sometimes we have a bad week. Sometimes we have a good year. Sometimes we have a bad year. That’s just the way that life is. What is the constant? Well, it’s not a ‘what’ but a ‘who’. That ‘who’ is Jesus.
As a Christian, Jesus has promised never to leave or forsake us. No doubt we’ve all had our share of fair-weather friends. (Sadly, some people have even had a fair-weather spouse.) You know, the kind who like you when you have money. Or are popular. Or are healthy. Once the storms of life start to come they disappear. They don’t do storms. They only like sunny weather. And tropical breezes. But Jesus is no fair-weather friend. He has promised to be with us 24/7. Through good times and bad. And everything in between.
So the next time that you look at a thermometer. Or check the forecast. Or look at the sky to see what the weather’s like, remember this: Jesus will always be with you.
Lord, I thank you for the reminder from my weather station that life does change. Constantly. From good to bad and back again. In the midst of all the change, the one thing I can always count on is You. You will never leave or forsake me. Thank you for this great truth. And may I be faithful to You in return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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