Pray tell
Many times I have heard people say that they “appreciate nature” and in the same breath, they are “afraid of the climate”.
As Alanis would say “isn’t it ironic, doncha think?”
That is because climate is part of nature.
And even with the most radical measures imposed on mankind, very little if anything useful is accomplished…
And then what?
Nature has not been “harnessed” and neither has climate.
So people continue to be “afraid”, instead of living their lives and using their talents.
Back in the day, people were “afraid” of the weather too, when they were on the boat with Jesus. He was asleep however.
When he awoke, he prayed, and the weather cooperated with his prayers and the seas were calmed and the people were saved.
Jesus constantly encouraged people to “pray” to the father. He regularly demonstrated the effectiveness of prayer as well.
I am surprised, and even shocked, that people TODAY are not investigating the “science” of how this “problem” with the weather was so easily handled by Jesus, who taught those who listened and prayed with him, YEARS ago. Apparently this solution Jesus demonstrated, has the ability to be duplicated.
But people and scientists are not studying this approach and instead ARE using OTHER ways to “handle” climate. These human ways, allow governments to impose restrictions on others, gives them more, not less power, and allows them to collect fines, and do things like stop people from eating meat or stop them from traveling in planes, trains and automobiles.
But Jesus still ate meat, and he traveled all over unafraid of the “climate”.
Instead of being afraid, his greatest concern was to get people to pray, and with prayer,he knew we would come to understand, the great power of prayer, and the ability it has to do wondrous things, that seem impossible.
Jesus was not afraid of the storm, or “the climate”, not the literal storm, and not the climate of hate that was directed at him because he did not listen to “the masses of people”. He traveled to the people to teach them a better way, and was in the midst of the storm, being tossed and turned, and not only did the storm fail to hurt him, it calmed at his word, and was peaceful.
People who pray, like Jesus, are not afraid of “the storm”. “The storm, is not the enemy, and neither is “the climate”. Jesus did not “bargain” with the storm and he also did not allow it to do damage. How interesting and worthy of investigation, that we can “TALK” calmly to any storm using prayer, and get good results.
Jesus knew that each individual, no matter how insignificant, matters to God, and each has gifts and rights because they are Gods creation and are protected and valued. Thankfully our constitution recognizes this and does not give the “will of the masses”, the power to create a hostile “environment” to overpower or overrule the rights of individuals.
If we are to be more like Jesus, its time we started acting more like Jesus. Time to pray.