We waited.
We hoped.
We watched the weather reports.
There wasn’t too much we could do.
We tried to water everything to keep it alive.
Water.
We needed God’s water. When would it rain?
Last night I finally heard the sweet, rhythmic sound of rain on the roof as I got ready to go to bed. What a wonderful lullaby. Some rains stick in my memory and I can recall them and relive them.
I was in a rustic mountain hotel. The sliding doors between the bedroom (the only room) and the bamboo forest outside were open. The floors were tatami mats, woven dried rice plants that were smooth and fragrant with the moisture in the air. The daylight was soft and subdued.
I sat at the open doors on the floor and watched the soft fall of rain on the fluffy leaves of the bamboo and listened as it hit lightly and flowed gently down to the ground.
A moment of perfect beauty and peace.
I was getting off a ship in Okinawa. Our ship had been tossed and plunged up and down as we tried to dock between other vessels. I had my bags draped over my shoulders as I stood at the gangway to leave the ship and walk to the dock and entry buildings. The rain was fast, horizontal and cold. Rain pelted and pushed me back toward the ship. Two shipmen grabbed my arms and, ducking down, they helped me push and strain against the stormy wind and slicing. Each time I lifted my foot to take a step, I was in danger of going aloft. The monsoon rain was a physical force to be reckoned with.
Job 5:10 tells us that God is in control of the weather and the rain. “He provides rain for the earth; He sends water on the countryside.” In Job 37:6, “He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’”
Rain in the Bible can illustrate spiritual truth. Isaiah 45:8 states, “You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I the Lord have created it.”
Rain in the Bible can illustrate blessings of God, renewal, revival and spiritual growth. Rain can be a symbol of God’s love and the Gospel spreading all over the world. Some see rain as a flood to show that God can wash away the world’s sins. A picture of God’s work of salvation, if you will.
Today, now! America and the world desperately need God to rain down His righteousness and salvation!
