El Nino Or El Elyon?

A few weeks ago we watched the great ice storm of 1998 wreak havoc in eastern and central Canada. For several days, rain kept falling and freezing, turning highways and driveways into skating rinks. As many as three million people lost power, and with it, heat, light, water, and most of all, their sense of security. No-one was immune.

In the wake of this storm and other recent events, there has been media hype implying that this unusual weather was caused by El Niño. I heard so much about it that I checked it out on the Internet. I learned that El Niño is the disruption of the entire oceanic-atmospheric system in the tropical Pacific Ocean. This occurrence often causes a major departure from average in temperature and precipitation on a global scale. Geography was my worst subject in high school, so I'd better stop there

The question then is… is El Niño really to blame? How about El Elyon? In the Old Testament, God the creator of heaven and earth and everything in it, revealed Himself by several names which represented His character, His attributes and His nature. One of those names of God is El Elyon, The God Most High. This name designates God as the sovereign ruler of all the universe. It is The God Most High who rules today over the affairs of men. Nothing can happen without the ultimate sanction or permission of El Elyon. Read on:

Job 37:5-6,10-13 – God's voice thunders in marvellous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, "Fall on the earth," and to the rain shower "Be a mighty downpour." The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them. At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever He commands them. He brings the clouds to punish men, or to water his earth and show his love.

If God is not sovereign and in control, then He is not The God Most High; and we are either in the hands of fate (whatever that is), or in the hands of man or of the devil.

Prayer: Lord I thank you that even when it seems that the world is falling apart, that I can be reminded of your sovereignty and love. Thank you that you give us peace and shelter in the midst of the storms. Amen.

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