Seizing global attention, 2005 featured record weather catastrophes. Records indicate that 26 tropical storms formed in 2005, besting 21 in 1933. And then with 14 of the 26 storms becoming hurricanes, it also surpassed the previous record of 12 set in 1969. Dry conditions also prevailed across the globe. This contributed to a record-breaking 8.5 million acres burned in the U.S. alone, surpassing 8.4 million in 2000.

And barely two weeks into 2006, the trend of nature’s destruction continues. We are witnessing wildfires in the U.S. and Australia, scorching lives and burning a picture of catastrophe on televisions across the globe, while California and Nevada are dealing with unusually wet weather, causing flash floods with expensive ramifications. While Canada has been soaking it up, Britain has been drying out.

Are we under a weather curse?

Consider the following.

In the U.S., wildfires are menacing four separate states: Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and Arkansas. In Colorado, at least 6,000 acres have been consumed. And in between drought-stricken Texas and Oklahoma, where fires have raged for weeks, hundreds of thousands of acres have yielded to the ferocious bite of continuous wildfire. Between Nov. 1, 2005, and January 3, Oklahoma lost over 331,000 acres to fire. Oklahoma is a full foot below its normal rainfall.

According to U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the southern U.S. can forget about any rectification to the water level in the first quarter of 2006. The problem has gotten to the point where Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry has called upon all Oklahomans to pray about the problem—prayers which, judging by the continued wildfires, as yet appear to be going unanswered.

Too little rain in one state seems to mean too much in another, as northern California was washed out by flash floods. Last week, a powerful storm pushed water levels above their banks, setting off mudslides that blocked major highways. And just two states adjacent to drought-stricken Colorado, Nevada experienced the worst flooding since 1997 with an estimated $1 billion in damages.

In Australia, wildfires are racing along, as the land down under suffers under blowtorch-like conditions. As of January 2, fires raged out of control in New South Wales, Victoria and the capital, Canberra. In some places, 65-foot flames whipped and swirled around, blazing a path of destruction. In Victoria alone, firefighters struggled with a 19-mile front that consumed more than 22,000 acres. The wildfires are being blamed on lower-than-usual rainfall for the past year.

In Canada, soggy, wet and erratic summed up the weather picture for 2005. Heavy rain from coast to coast brought flash floods in Alberta, where one in 10 homes flooded in Calgary. The same storm then lumbered eastward to Manitoba, wreaking havoc in 22 municipalities and forcing a state of emergency. The weather in British Columbia, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada was also sketchy. There was little to no snow for a winter-tourist heavy b.c. The weather played tricks in Ontario: On November 9, Ottawa was smacked with freezing rain, Windsor experienced a balmy 68 degrees, it snowed in Barrie, and Hamilton experienced a rare 10-minute tornado.

In Britain, significant water deficits in eastern and southeastern England have the Met Office predicting a significantly dry winter. They predict that the exceptionally dry conditions of 2005 will persist into the spring and summer of 2006.

All this weather irregularity, especially drought, has a significant impact on business. It also increases the risk of fire damage and crop failures. The problem becomes social and economic.

Among the most sensitive industries, and dead center in the rampaging path of volatile weather, is agriculture. As an example, according to the June 18, 2005, Wall Street Journal, America’s agriculture industry is one of the few stable sectors of the economy: “About two thirds of the land in the 48 contiguous states is tied up in agriculture. Farming and related business account for about 12 percent of U.S. gross domestic product and about 17 percent of American jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”

That stability is unraveling, literally from the ground up.

Because of persistent drought, agriculture is suffering. Midland County, in West Texas, offers a typical example. According to the Midland-Reporter Telegram, “Midland County Executive Director of the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency Herb Sorley said wheat crops have already been planted and are ‘needing a drink of water pretty bad.’” Sorley says the state is suffering from a 10-year trend of below-normal levels of rainfall.

“It’ll be devastating all over the state of Texas if it doesn’t get to raining,” Martin County Extension Agent Lee Howard was quoted as saying. “Not only because of the crops, but because of the fires” (January 5).

Is God using weather to correct us?

Mainstream Christians have split over the question—especially since the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina snuffed out more than 280,000 lives.

Regarding Hurricane Katrina, some said it was God’s punishment on a sinning mankind. Alabama State Sen. Henry E. “Hank” Erwin Jr. said about Katrina, “New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast have always been known for gambling, sin and wickedness. … It is the kind of behavior that ultimately brings the judgment of God” (msnbc, Oct. 19, 2005).

Others say it is foolhardy to interpret natural disasters as judgment from God or that the end may be near. Mark Bailey, president of the Dallas Theological Seminary, says, “To say about any of these that ‘this is it’ [the end of the world] is dangerous speculation” (ibid.).

Now, reflect on God’s position.

“And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered” (Amos 4:7).

Yes—the God of the Bible proclaims to control the weather. In other scriptures He says He dries up rivers, controls the seas and works in the whirlwinds. He also says that He will curse a nation that refuses to obey His laws by turning the heaven into iron and the earth into brass. Men will spend their strength in vain trying to gain an increase. See Leviticus 26 and Isaiah 29:6.

But in a sophisticated world, believing God is very unfashionable.

Britain, with its former dominions, and the United States are identified in the Bible as modern-day Israel. God fashioned Israel from the patriarch Abraham. He called the children of Israel from national slavery in Egypt to form them into a great influence-wielding nation. But they forgot God and once again fell into slavery, finally migrating northwest to Britain, and from there to America and the dominions. For a thorough examination of this topic, see The United States and Britain in Prophecy.

What God wants for Britain and America is to have them recognize that He gave them the choicest land on Earth for a reason: to show forth the praises of God. But now, America and Britain are leaders in the porn industry and a host of other social ills. For God, it is a sad turn of events. And as a Father, He is not sitting idly by as His children self-destruct.

America, Britain, Australia and Canada are experiencing these curses because God wants them to repent of their disobedience. Leviticus 26, with its blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, is aimed primarily at them. Salubrious weather is a natural blessing that comes with obedience to God’s laws. As long as His laws are trampled upon, He will continue to correct us so we will change our evil ways.

We are under a curse.

But the curses are a form of mercy. God wants to bless America and Britain. And He will continue to intensify the correction, using His creation, to bring people to obedience and blessings (Revelation 6:12-17; Ezekiel 33:11). After all, God is a loving Father.

And He would like nothing more to see each individual turn to Him from their former ways, so He can call them sons and bring immense blessings into their lives today and into eternity. If we do this, as Governor Brad Henry and fire-ravaged Oklahoma hope for, we can expect answered prayers.

Please read Repentance Toward God.