The Weather Channel celebrates its 20th birthday this year.

When the idea for a weather channel was first conceived, many people pooh-poohed it, thinking no one would be interested in 24-hour coverage of the weather.

But people are fascinated by the complex movements of air masses colliding with each other in the earth's atmosphere. Estimates put the number at almost 60 million Americans who tune in each day for their daily diet of meteorological amusement. Let the waters of the inter-tropical convergence zone spawn a hurricane and send it heading to the U.S. mainland and those numbers jump considerably.

I know in my own life I am fascinated when a cumulonimbus cloud mushrooms into an anvil and the wind picks up and then the lightning and thunder starts. I simply love to watch storms develop. Their display of power is awesome.

Our fascination with the weather goes deeper than simply depending on it to help us decide how to dress or whether we'll need to take along an umbrella to work. It serves as a reminder that there are things in life that are totally beyond our control, forcing us to rely on something bigger than ourselves. It reminds us that we are at the mercy of the elements.

The Bible is filled with stories where the weather played a central role. From Noah's flood to the darkness that covered the earth during the crucifixion, one thing stands out in all of them: God, and not his creatures, is ultimately in control of all meteorological phenomena.

I recently attended a National Day of Prayer service on a cold and rainy Thursday. During the hour-long time of prayer for America and its leaders, several of people included thanksgiving to God for the rain that day along with a request for more of it in the face of the lingering drought here in the northeast.

As we prayed, I was reminded of the time Jesus and the apostles were together in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly a storm blew in and the boat was in danger of capsizing. Panicked, the apostles roused Jesus from his sleep. But Jesus, the ultimate meteorologist, calmly stood up in the boat and spoke a word, and the storm immediately ceased.

Dr. Luke records the reaction of the apostles: "And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

"Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com. Visit our website at www.amyfound.org.