I first heard the sound of its coming. Before I could see it, feel it, or even smell it. I heard the sound. Thunder. Out in the distance. Rain was on its way.
It has been a while since it had rained. The grass was dry, brown, in need of water. The dirt road was that way too. Dry. Dusty. Covering each vehicle that traversed its course with a nice brown layer of filth.
Everything seemed to ache for rain…the grass, the birds, the crops in the field, the streams. Everything except for the kids. They were busy. Playing in the pool. Who needs rain when you can swim? Who needs more wetness when you’re already wet? But there it was. The thunder had sounded.
At the pool, the sound of thunder means one thing. Swim time is over (or at least paused until the storm passes). If you hear thunder, it’s time to get out. Thunder might mean that there’s lightning, and nobody wants to be in the pool with some lightning. It doesn’t matter if you were just about to perform your patented belly flop or if you had finally managed to balance yourself on that tricky raft that always tips you over. When the thunder rolls, so do you. Right out of the pool.
The sound of thunder wasn’t really welcome right at that moment for me either. There I was in the driveway with the tools out, elbow deep in gunk, trying to get some stubborn, rusty bolts out of a radiator that needed replacing. The rain would mean that I would have to be done soon, that I would need to clean up. It didn’t matter if I was actually done or not. The rain wasn’t bound to my schedule, to my preference. The rain was coming whether I liked it or not.
It’s a good thing that the rain isn’t bound to my schedule (or the kids’…or even yours). I certainly wouldn’t want to be responsible for that type of thing. I mean, I can tell when we need some rain by the way everything looks and feels, but I'm no expert. I’d probably only have it sprinkle in the middle of the night when it wouldn’t interrupt my plans. (On occasion, I might also have it downright pour in the middle of the day, right in the middle of some of my plans so that I could get a break from them.) Still, it wouldn’t be good for me to be in charge of the weather patterns. I’d be too selfish. I’d dictate the weather based on my preferences, based on my schedule instead of what was best for the greater good of the land. I wouldn’t want for the kids to have that responsibility either. They’d probably do the same. Though I’m not going to accuse you of selfishness, I’m pretty sure that controlling the weather is above your pay grade as well.
We monitor the weather. We complain about the weather. We live with the weather. We escape the weather. But, we do not control the weather. The weather comes. The weather goes. It is beyond our control.
So, there we were. The thunder sounded the alarm. A storm was coming. Rain was on the way.
The kids hopped out of the pool and cleaned things up. I finished up the last little bit that I could with the radiator, and then we went inside. It was a sight to behold. Thunder cracking. Big bolts of lightning. Rain coming down.
If I’m honest, this was what we needed even if I didn’t want it at that exact moment. Rain. The ground needed it. The plants needed it. The fields needed it. The animals needed it. (We probably still need some more.)
As much of an inconvenience that it was to any of our outdoor plans, this was what was best. Rain.
Rain is good. It’s necessary. It’s important. It’s life-giving, life-sustaining. Places where there is no rain suffer. Life dries up. Becomes barren. The land becomes desolate. People thirst. Life ends.
We all know that rain is important…even when it interrupts our plans.
This is true in our spiritual life as well. Rain is good. It’s necessary. It’s important. It’s life-giving, life-sustaining. Places where there is no rain suffer. Life dries up. Becomes barren. The land becomes desolate. People thirst. Life ends.
Being watered spiritually, receiving rain spiritually is important…even when it interrupts our plans.
It reminds me of a story in the Bible. This comes from the Gospel of Matthew, and it is a lesson about a time when the disciples thought they were getting too much rain in the form of a storm.
Then he (Jesus) got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.
But Jesus was sleeping.
The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
The disciples were in the boat, following the plans of God. They were being faithful, traveling to the other side of the lake at Jesus’ direction. They weren’t being disobedient, rebellious, or even stubborn at this point. They were just listening to Jesus and following him. Then, the storm came up. The rain rolled in. The thunder cracked. The lightning flashed. The wind whipped. The waves grew. This was not an expected or welcomed bit of spiritual watering. This was an unexpected and unwelcome bit of rain that they thought would be the end of them.
Still, in this moment, in this instance of a torrential downpour, the disciples not only learned that Jesus has the ability to control the weather, but they likely learned a few other things. Hopefully, we are able to learn them as well.
- Sometimes “spiritual rain”, spiritual lessons, truths of God are revealed in a manner that we don’t like and at a time that we wouldn’t prefer. None of the disciples had this rain shower planned. It’s likely that none of them would have boarded the ship had they known that the storm was coming. Still, it was in this unexpected situation that God revealed even more about the character and nature of Jesus. It was in the storm that the disciples learned that Jesus doesn’t panic. It was in the storm that the disciples saw the greatness and power of the Lord. It was in the storm that they learned they need some improvement in their “faith” and “fear” departments. God used an instance of a storm to water the hearts of the disciples, to show what it meant to grow in their relationship with Christ.
- Seek God in all circumstances. Though the disciples were chastised about their lack of faith, they did seek help in the right direction, calling to Jesus for assistance. Whether the ground is cracking and barren and we’re in desperate need of water, or if it’s over-saturated and a swampy, muddy mess, or if it’s anywhere in between, we need to call out to Jesus. In all circumstances. At all times. In all places. We need to look to God to provide, to call out to Jesus, to look for him to supply what we need.
- Jesus isn’t surprised…even if we are. Jesus wasn’t surprised or caught off guard by the situation. He was relaxed enough to be taking a nap. Jesus isn’t surprised by the events in our lives either. He knows our needs and is attentive to our call. Still, he longs for us to be in conversation with Him, to seek Him, to know Him, to come to Him trusting that He will care for us.
The rain comes. Sometimes it comes when we want, when we expect, when we’re prepared, when we’re desperate for the watering. Other times it comes when we don’t want, when we don’t expect, when we’re unprepared, and when we’ve had too much watering. Regardless, the rain (and all of the rest of the weather) is outside of our control. There isn’t a whole lot of good that will come from complaining about it.
Instead, with each day, with each season, with each rainfall, may we learn to look to Jesus. May we recognize that God holds the entire world in His hands, that there is nothing outside of His capabilities. May we look to be “watered” in our own spiritual journeys, to learn, to grow closer to Christ, and to seek Jesus in each circumstance that we find ourselves in, and may we recognize that our life situations aren’t a surprise to our Lord. To Him be the Glory!
~ Pastor Chris
