Weather Angel

Have I ever told you about my Weather Angel? Many of you know that my husband and I have a love for the Great Outdoors. We ride bicycles, hike, kayak, camp, etc. We do it for fitness and for fun, but it is heavily weather dependent. It all started a few years back during one of those rainy summers. You know what I mean, one of those summers where it storms every afternoon. It was difficult finding a chance to get outdoors even to just exercise. And I need to be outdoors. So, I began to pray about this matter. I found myself saying things like, “Lord, please open a window in the weather for me to exercise between 7:00 and 8:30. This is the only time I can go, and I know You want me to care for my body.” I began to see some changes – very small, seemingly coincidental changes. I wondered if I was reading too much into these things. Would the Lord really change the weather for me so I could exercise or just enjoy a hobby? My inner dialogue went like this: “I’ve prayed for no rain today, but the weatherman says there’s a 90 percent chance. Do I leave my umbrella at home to demonstrate my faith?” My faith was small.

I began to keep a journal on these “coincidences.” I was determined to be brutally honest too. Here are some of the highlights:

August 2011, Dan and I planned to bike the New River Trail in Virginia. The weather forecast was terrible, but this was the only weekend we could go. We biked about 30 miles that day, and the air was so thick we could hardly breathe. We were drenched by humidity and sweat. After our ride, we loaded our bikes and went to eat. The moment we literally stepped foot in the restaurant, as the old saying goes, “the bottom dropped out.” We were amazed. God had held the weather back just long enough for us to finish our ride and get under shelter.

February 2012, I prayed for a break in the weather for a specific time, so I could go walking. While walking, I decided to do an extra lap around the neighborhood. I ended up getting wet. Had I stuck to the times I requested, I would have remained dry.

March 2012, I prayed over a friend’s wedding. During the rehearsal the day before, the weather was tornadic, but the wedding day rose clear and crisp.

April 2012, I had scheduled an overnight backpacking trip to Mount LeConte in the Smoky Mountains planned with some friends. (Did you know the Smokies are a rainforest?) The weatherman predicted a 70 percent chance of rain, but we prayed. We  only got sprinkles and fog. My daughter, Savannah, was in Virginia doing a mud run, and she could see the weather coming toward them. They ended up wet and cold. She knew we were praying about our trip. Sometimes our prayers impact others in unexpected ways.

August 2012, our daughter, Rachel, was to be in an outdoor wedding in Canada, and a 90 percent chance of rain was predicted. We prayed, and the weather was perfect!

July 2013, the Lord blessed me with a window to exercise in the middle of a week’s worth of non-stop raining.

I could go on and on. I have over 45 entries in this journal. There have been other weddings, opportunities to exercise, and outdoor adventures. I finally grew tired of keeping track. I found that about 98 percent of the time, the Lord gave me what I asked, and it seemed my chances were better if I asked ahead of time. As a family, we joked that I had a personal Weather Angel. But we know that I am no one special. God does not play favorites. God loves us and delights in blessing us! He is good to His children!

This little experiment made me more confident in the power of prayer. I recommend the book, “Prayer, the Great Adventure,” by David Jeremiah. Since reading it and putting the principles into practice, I have seen God’s hand at work in amazing ways. You can too. May the Lord bless you!

joyce hague