Rain.

Published on by Sarah E. Cooley

So, I lied. Woops.

I said that the last post that I made would be my last post till March. Well, surprise, I found some time on this Friday afternoon to sit down, just think, and write. It’s currently 61° and raining. It is really refreshing.

After a nice rain, I always feel like I can breathe again. I feel as though the world I was living in is getting washed away. I feel as though I need to start building an ark and screaming to the people to repent and turn to Christ (Just kidding! 😉 ) But, I do feel that way in my life. Rain is such a great thing.

In my life, I wonder what I would consider rain to be a symbol of?

I spent some time thinking about this. Rain, in my life, is the trials. Some times rain can be scary. It can be damaging. It can wash things away. It can create floods. It can cave roofs in. In the storm, the wind can blow trees down onto cars, homes, and buildings. The thunder and lightning can be loud and frightening. It can cause fires and even electrocute and kill people. These things are scary and damaging.

BUT-Rain can be so good!!

Psalm 147:8
“He covers the heavens with clouds;

he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.“

Isaiah 45:8
“Shower, O heavens, from above,

 and let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, 
that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the Lord have created it.“
Although the rain can be damaging, it can be defining. The rain comes and it causes things to grow. For us, figuratively, the rain causes growth in our own lives through salvation and righteousness. It causes the bad things to be washed away. I remember being young and it raining and sitting outside in my bathing suit in the front yard. I sat in the gutter (gross, I know) and watched as leaves, piles of dirt, trash, bugs, and other things get washed away from the gutter into the storm drain. This is what rain does in our lives. When we are going through trials, when the rain is coming down the hardest that it ever has, you can look at the gutter of your life and see the Lord refining you and washing down the trash, dirt, and grime and bring Salvation and Righteousness into your life as it says in Isaiah 45:8.
Listen to what Jesus says about rain:
    “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
(Matthew 7:24-27 ESV)
The rain fell down and because the person was faithful to the Lord, the Lord was faithful to keep the house standing because it’s foundation was in the Lord. It is easy to stay faithful to the Lord in the good times, when the sun is shining, when the skies are clear, when the earth is still. But, when times are tough, when the wind is shaking your foundation, when the rain is beating on your windows, that is when it matters the most. That is what defines you. That is what causes growth in your life. When the sun comes back out and the water is dried up, you look around and in the part of your life that was dry and dead is now growing and flourishing, then you realize: it was all worth it! It is all for the Glory of the Lord!!

Here is Psalm 30. Read and be encouraged:
“I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
        and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
     O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
        and you have healed me.
     O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
        you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

    Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
        and give thanks to his holy name.
     For his anger is but for a moment,
        and his favor is for a lifetime.
    Weeping may tarry for the night,
        but joy comes with the morning.

    As for me, I said in my prosperity,
        “I shall never be moved.”
     By your favor, O LORD,
        you made my mountain stand strong;
    you hid your face;
        I was dismayed.

    To you, O LORD, I cry,
        and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
     “What profit is there in my death,
        if I go down to the pit?
    Will the dust praise you?
        Will it tell of your faithfulness?
     Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!
        O LORD, be my helper!”

    You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
        you have loosed my sackcloth
        and clothed me with gladness,
     that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
        O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!”

To Be Continued… =)

Leave a comment