Winter Storm Jonas

This past week, the weather services have been warning of a monster blizzard that was to hit this week end, January 22-24, 2016. They say the “bull’s eye” is Washington D.C. This is significant because the storm will hit Washington D.C. on our watch dates (January 22/23).

The names of storms are determined months ahead of time, so I find it interesting that this one is named Jonas, which is the Greek form of the name Jonah. Jonah, of course, is one of the main biblical signs of death and resurrection. We first linked January 22/23 to the theme of death and resurrection when we held a prayer campaign on those dates in 1985. It was called “The Lord’s Doing,” but we also nicknamed it the Passover Prayer Campaign to indicate death and resurrection.

Two years earlier, on January 22/23, 1983, we moved to Batesville, Arkansas at the end of 414 days since I resigned the church in Las Cruces (December 4/5, 1981). For years Ron has called me “Steve Jonas,” so the storm seems to have a link to my own experience—and certainly the important turning point in my own life. My move to Batesville was a major sign of resurrection to a new life.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3411364/Monster-blizzard-bearing-eastern-US.html

“A massive blizzard is charging toward the East Coast on Friday, one that the National Weather Service said could rank near the top 10 to ever hit the region. 

“With more than two feet of snow predicted for Washington alone, schools were closed, flights were canceled and a state of emergency was declared across a vast area.

“The National Weather Service says the nation's capital could get as much as 29 inches of snow by the time the storm ends Sunday, possibly breaking the record set during the January 1922 Knickerbocker blizzard, when 28 inches covered DC.”

There may be other signs to watch this week end, but certainly this “massive blizzard” is something to watch.