It has been raining this afternoon. A real frog-strangler. Thunder. Lightning. Heavy, wind-driven drops beating against the roof, seeping in through the windows and under the doors. A glorious rain!
In places where it rains infrequently, a good rain is cause for joy. It washes the dust from the air and recharges vital cisterns and wells. It slakes the thirst of corn and wheat, of beasts and humans. In a day or two, it will produce a host of fragrant flowers.
Rain is often a symbol of God’s grace, the unwarranted mercies he lavishes upon us. Sometimes, rain is withheld as a symbol of God’s judgment. In the passage below, rain illustrates God’s sovereign will. He has a plan, and it will not be thwarted. He is in control of human history, and his plan is a fait accompli—a thing already accomplished.
But God’s purposes are not complete without you and me. This God, who generously sends the rains, invites us to come to him while there is yet time.
Turn to the LORD and pray to him, now that he is near. Let the wicked leave their way of life and change their way of thinking. Let them turn to the LORD, our God; he is merciful and quick to forgive.
“My thoughts,” says the LORD, “are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways and thoughts above yours.”
“My word is like the snow and the rain that come down from the sky to water the earth. They make the crops grow and provide seed for planting and food to eat. So also will be the word that I speak—it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do.” —Isaiah 55:6-11, Good News Bible
