Why Typhoon and Bad Weather?

WHY, despite all our scientific advancements, does modern man remain helpless before the fury of the elements? Why can’t we stop typhoons, floods, or droughts? What is the real cause behind today’s violent and unpredictable weather?

As this is being written, Super Typhoon "Uwan" is tearing through the main island of Luzon and parts of the Visayas with sustained winds exceeding 150 miles per hour, leaving widespread destruction and power outages.

Just a week earlier, Tropical Storm "Tino" submerged major parts of Cebu and Negros, dumping over 400 millimeters of rain in 24 hours—triggering flash floods, landslides, and isolating entire communities. Many cell sites went down, leaving families without contact or help.

But nature alone isn’t to blame. Compounding these calamities are unfinished or substandard flood-control projects—symptoms of deep corruption. Studies reveal that 20–70% of public funds for infrastructure often end up in the pockets of dishonest officials. When people betray their responsibility, the land itself suffers (Isaiah 24:5–6).

The History of Weather and Civilization

From ancient times, civilizations have risen or fallen depending on the mercy of the skies. Egypt’s prosperity depended on the Nile’s predictable floods. Yet history also records how droughts destroyed once-mighty empires like the Mayans and Akkadians.

Modern society, enjoying decades of relative climate stability during the mid-20th century, took this blessing for granted. But today, extreme weather is becoming the new normal.

Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in 2013, the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Philippines, reached 195 mph winds and killed over 6,000 people, displacing millions. Scientists now warn of even more severe climate events ahead due to rising ocean temperatures, deforestation, and pollution.

Still, even with advanced meteorology and satellites, experts can only observe the physical causes of storms.

The Bible, however, reveals the spiritual dimension that science cannot measure.

God Directs the Weather--

Scripture is clear: God governs the forces of nature. Jesus Himself said,

“He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).

Job declared that God “sends the snow… scatters His lightning… and causes it to come, whether for correction or for mercy” (Job 37:6–13).

Yes, there are natural laws that produce rain, storms, and seasons—but God is the Lawgiver behind them. Apart from normal weather cycles, He also allows humans to reap what they sow—both physically and spiritually.

Pollution, environmental abuse, and greed all disrupt the balance He created. But Scripture goes further: God sometimes uses weather to correct and warn nations of sin.

In Deuteronomy 28, God promised good weather and abundant harvests to those who obeyed His laws (verses 1–14). But He also warned of curses—drought, scorching winds, and blight—if they turned away from Him (verses 15–24).

During Elijah’s time, God withheld rain for three and a half years to confront a rebellious nation steeped in idolatry (1 Kings 17–18). The same moral principle applies today. When people reject God’s law, they invite calamity. As the apostle John wrote, “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4).

The Real Cause: A World in Sin

Today’s global weather crises are more than environmental—they’re moral. Humanity is reaping the storm of its own disobedience, greed, and self-reliance. Our world worships technology, money, and power but forgets its Creator. God is allowing these wake-up calls to humble the nations before greater judgments to come.

Prophecy warns that unless mankind repents, worse conditions are ahead. The book of Revelation describes ecological devastation so severe that “a third of the earth was burned up… a third of the waters became bitter… and men were scorched with great heat” (Revelation 8:7–12; 16:8–9). These are not myths—they are warnings for a lawless, self-destructive world.

Yet there is hope. When King Solomon dedicated the Temple, he prayed:

“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against You, and when they pray and turn from their sin… then hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and send rain”

(2 Chronicles 6:26–27).

God still promises mercy to those who repent. If nations would turn from corruption, idolatry, and moral decay, He would heal the land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Good weather, prosperity, and peace are blessings of obedience.

A Call to Return to God--

The worsening storms of our age are not merely acts of nature—they are signs that mankind has drifted far from God. But these tempests need not end in despair. God is calling us, individually and collectively, to return to Him, to honor His laws, and to walk in righteousness.

If we do, He will calm the winds, bless our fields, and restore balance to the earth. Only under the coming Kingdom of God—when Christ rules the nations—will creation finally rest from its groaning (Romans 8:21).

Until then, every typhoon should remind us of one truth:

The weather obeys God.

Shouldn’t we?