Weather is on our minds a lot here in Northern Minnesota. Most recently we have been dealing with measurable and consistent “snow events”…all before Halloween, mind you. This has caused us to look to the sky and read the thermometer wondering if the snow will melt or if it’s here until spring. We are trying to “interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky” (Luke 12:56a). We want to know what’s coming next.
Jesus mentioned this obsession with tracking weather in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 12:54-59) when he addressed the crowd regarding their ability to “interpret the present times” (Luke 12:56b). It seems that Jesus is telling the crowd that they should put as much effort into discerning the will of God as they do in predicting the weather.
What does this mean for us? Do we look for God’s presence and actions in our lives and in the world with the same effort we look for the coming weather? Do we pick up on the signs that God sends us?
Just as we look to the sky for the coming weather, we should look at everything that happens to us and around us as a call to conversation with God. We should interpret these events in the light of how and what God dreams us to be. In order to do that, we must build a relationship with God by being faithful to prayer and steeped in the Word of God. It is the Holy Spirit that will guide us to what’s coming next.