Rain!

July 21st, 2012| Topic: RaMbLeS | 0

Just. Stop. Raining.

That was the rather odd command issued in a Times of London editorial last week.

Yes, the Brits are getting tired of rain. What with the Olympics and all, this is a wet season promising to douse all the athletic excitement. Londoners, in particular, are getting tired of the miserable weather, which has been plaguing them for months.

Every day—drizzles and downpours, sprinkles and showers. Wet. Flood alerts all over the country. The rain is coming down hard, with no place to go.

Concerts canceled. Music festivals washed out. Sporting events soaked.

Rain, earlier, even delayed play and forced the roof to close at Wimbledon’s tennis final, a few weeks ago, which saw Andy Murray, the local hero, lose to Roger Federer. Blame it on rain!

The Olympic torch relay was also hit by the weather with organizers forced to cancel outdoor events in places.

The wettest period of April to June on record.

They say that the climate in the U.K. is unpredictable. Not these days. It’s rain, rain, and more rain. Gloom and doom (though this weekend is supposed to be better).

That’s when the venerable Times decided to take action.

“Let us make our position crystal clear: We are against this weather,” wrote the unsigned op-ed author. “It must stop raining, and soon.”

I’m not entirely certain whom they are addressing here.

Britain’s Meteorological Office blames the jet stream, the narrow band of fast-moving wind which flows west to east across the Atlantic, for the foul weather.

The Times editorial lamented the discounted swimwear, unsold garden furniture, and unused barbecue grills—all the result of the excess rain. Apparently, they allege, the rains have affected the country’s potato harvest, thereby pushing up the price of “chips” (read “fries,” if you are in the U.S.). That did it for them. “When the proverbial cheapness of chips comes under threat, The Times says enough is enough,” the editorial declared.

That’s when people turn to God. When the price of fries goes up.

Not that “Just. Stop. Raining.” is going to particularly endear the ear of the Almighty and induce him to let a bit of sunshine through. I’m not convinced that commanding God is a useful practice.

For I know that the LORD is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the LORD pleases, He does,
In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
Who makes lightnings for the rain,
Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
Psalm 135:5–7

Perhaps a bit more endearing tone would have lent itself to appeal to the mercies of the Creator.

Met Office spokeswoman Sarah Holland was a bit more realistic than the The Times. In an apologetic email she acknowledged that while the weather was disappointing, “unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it.” Indeed!

Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know;
The number of His years is unsearchable.
For He draws up the drops of water,
They distill rain from the mist,
Which the clouds pour down,
They drip upon man abundantly.
Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
The thundering of His pavilion?
Job 36:26–29

Instead …

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,
Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who provides rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
Psalm 147:7–8

Yeah, try that for a change. Instead of yelling at God, go find a lyre!