1 Samuel 12:18. "So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel."

There are times when thunder and rain would be very welcome, but Saul was calling upon the Lord to reveal to His people His power and glory, which is why the people "greatly feared the Lord and Samuel." God always uses His Creation to communicate with us. Sometimes it is in very unexpected ways, like sending an angel to us (an angel is, after all, part of God's Creation, just not one we typically encounter in a direct way). But usually God communicates through the natural world, and it behooves us to be in touch with Him so we can properly read "the signs of our times" in context.

If there had been a drought, with the people clamoring for rain, and Samuel prayed for rain and was answered in this way, the people would have been joyful, not fearful. But here, the people have just demanded a king, over God's and Samuel's warnings and objections, and God has given them one, Saul. However, Samuel and God want the people to remember that God is truly their king, He is the one with all the power to protect, guide, and nurture them, and the one who promised to do so. They would have fared better if they had just trusted Him. So, as a reminder of God's power, Samuel says "Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great ... in asking for yourselves a king." (1 Samuel 12:17). Since Samuel's prayer is immediately answered in just the way he asked, the people can't help but see that God is displeased with them, thus their great fear at thunder and rain, an otherwise very natural occurrence.

We do not usually have a prophet to point out exactly where we've gone wrong and to give us a very clear sign that God is unhappy with us (nor vice versa - we do not usually have a prophet to tell us that God is pleased with us, and to give us a sign to prove it). But God is still doing these things - giving us signs through His natural world, and we do have the Church to tell us what is good and what is wicked. So if we really need rain, or anything else, and we get it, we should thank and praise God for seeing to our needs. But if rain, or anything else, is the last thing we need, and we get it, we should thank and praise God for giving us a sign that we are on the wrong track.

Just about everything is, I believe, a message from God. The tricky part for us is to interpret all things in context, and in accordance with what He has revealed of Himself to us. Just like the Israelites, we know what we need to know of God to trust Him. If we are not, if we are going the way of the world instead, He will call us back with signs. It is on us to see and interpret those signs properly, they may bring joy or they may bring fear, it all depends on the context.