We're currently experiencing a heat wave. We're in the middle of temperatures that are peaking over 100 degrees. Last night it was still 100 degrees at 6 pm. It occurred to me that we humans can tolerate a relatively narrow temperature band. Back in 2003 there was a heat wave that claimed the lives of about 50,000 people in Europe, including almost 15,000 in France! Unfortunately few homes are equipped with air conditioning there. On the other extreme, we are also vulnerable to cold weather. Over the past three months there has been a cold snap in the Andean regions of Peru and 70 children have died of pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses in this high altitude region, where temperatures have dropped as low as 4 degrees below zero. So we have a comfort level of something less than 100 degrees of temperature and when the limits are pushed, people start to really suffer. It's really amazing that 99% of the time the temperature is in that acceptable band. The distance to the sun, the intensity of the sun, the angle of the earth's tilt, the effect of clouds and sky, the absorption of heat by the earth, and a bunch of other factors all combine to cause the temperature to find that range. Clearly, the Lord is holding us in His hand. We are not very strong in light of all the forces that come together to form our climate and we need Him to hold it all together in just the right balance. He does such a good job that we can forget He's there all the time.
Isaiah 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
blessings,
Rob Smith
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