Bring the Rain
I'm astonished at how our story has allowed moments of using even the Rainy days to call out his goodness in our lives. For today it's a plain old, regular-life, reschedule field trip.
"In Scripture, clouds are associated with the very presence of God. Before my surprising insight, my view of clouds had been entirely negative. I’d never liked cloudy days, especially when they were accompanied by storms. I like clear days and sunshine, blue skies and smooth sailing. But as I was reading Exodus, I was amazed to see that clouds always brought with them God’s nearness. In the wilderness, the Israelites recognized the Lord in the cloud, as he spoke from it (Exodus 19:9), guided with it (Exodus 13:21) and revealed his glory through it (Exodus 16:10). And in the New Testament, God drew near to the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration in a cloud. I learned that when life is sunny, I may have God’s blessings, but his presence is not as intense as in the struggle. It doesn’t feel like God draws as near without the clouds. There is an intimacy with him I have only experienced in the raging storm. When pain engulfs me and my hope evaporates, I need to cry out to God. I need to praise him, to trust him in the blinding rain, to know that he is enough. And when I do, something extraordinary happens. God shows me his glory. This glimpse of his glory overshadows my suffering. My focus is no longer on removing my trial; it is riveted on having more of him. I still don’t like thick clouds. But the torrential downpours that have shaken my life have done deep work in me. And in the accompanying clouds, I find Jesus, and the glory of his presence far surpasses any storm." Vaneetha Rendall Risner
In the bible Rain destroyed the earth and it brought new life. Examples over and over again. Just look friends. How good is our God to show up even on a rainy day, so we can see his power. Watering redemption, washing clean, new growth sprouting, and ruins washed away...
"Ask the Lord for rain in the spring,
for he makes the storm clouds.
And he will send showers of rain
so every field becomes a lush pasture." Zachariah 10
So on this rainy day, I will enjoy a rescheduled flied trip. In the middle of the rainy day I will praise him. It makes sense now why I love a good rainy day. The rainy days will come. Plans will be changed. Some plans forever changed. But GOD remains the same, yesterday, in the rain, and tomorrow.
“Open up, heavens, and rain.
Clouds, pour out buckets of my goodness!
Loosen up, earth, and bloom salvation;
sprout right living.
I, God, generate all this. Isaiah 45
“But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth, And sends water on the fields. Job 5:8-10
If you said to someone: "My God does great and unsearchable things; He does wonders without number," and they responded, "Really? Like what?" would you say, "Rain"?...
But Job is not joking. "God does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number." He gives rain on the earth." In Job's mind, rain really is one of the great, unsearchable wonders that God does...
Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God? Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream. A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come on the fields from another source.
From where?
Well, the sky.
The sky?
Water will come out of the clear blue sky?
Well, not exactly. Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea, over several hundred miles and then be poured out from the sky onto the fields.
Carried?
How much does it weigh?
Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.
That's heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it's so heavy? Well, it gets up there by evaporation. Really? That's a nice word. What's it mean? It means that the water sort of stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down. I see. Then how does it get down? Well, condensation happens. What's that? The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That's small.
What about the salt? Salt? Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt? Well, the salt has to be taken out. Oh. So the sky picks up a billion pounds of water from the sea and takes out the salt and then carries it for three hundred miles and then dumps it on the farm?
Well it doesn't dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds water down in little drops. And they have to be big enough to fall for one mile or so without evaporating, and small enough to keep from crushing the wheat stalks.
How do all these microscopic specks of water that weigh a billion pounds get heavy enough to fall (if that's the way to ask the question)? Well, it's called coalescence. What's that? It means the specks of water start bumping into each other and join up and get bigger. And when they are big enough, they fall. Just like that? Well, not exactly, because they would just bounce off each other instead of joining up, if there were no electric field present. What? Never mind. Take my word for it.
I think, instead, I will just take Job's word for it. I still don't see why drops ever get to the ground, because if they start falling as soon as they are heavier than air, they would be too small not to evaporate on the way down, but if they wait to come down, what holds them up till they are big enough not to evaporate? Yes, I am sure there is a name for that too. But I am satisfied now that, by any name, this is a great and unsearchable thing that God has done. I think I should be thankful - lots more thankful than I am.
Grateful to God for the wonder of rain"
Just in case you were wondering though... there is this promise I hang on to...
"Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen." Rev. 1:7
It is SO true. The Sun WILL shine!
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” – Genesis 9:12-15
https://www.kathrynshirey.com/even-after-the-worst-storms-the-sun-will-shine-again/
"Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen." Rev. 1:7
It is SO true. The Sun WILL shine!
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” – Genesis 9:12-15
https://www.kathrynshirey.com/even-after-the-worst-storms-the-sun-will-shine-again/
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