“Into every life a little rain must fall.” So dictates the wisdom of the ages. We instinctively understand this principle, knowing that rain is necessary for life.
For this reason, once we sense that we do not get enough rain, we soon begin to pray for it. At other times, when we feel we have had enough of rain, we soon begin to sing about it: “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.”
Over the last four of five weeks, we have now experienced the remnants of three consecutive Gulf Coast hurricanes as they have spun themselves out overhead here in east Tennessee. Needless to say, as of late, we have been doing more singing than praying!
This is not to say that this rain has not been welcome. The couple of inches that have drenched us this time have certainly tempered the dust that usually accompanies the dryness of fall. But when the dust turns to mud, the blessing can become a hassle.
I had gone walking this morning, and had barely gotten a half a mile from our house, when the bottom fell out of the clouds and the rain began to fall in torrents. Thankfully, due to an earlier heads’ up from my wife, I had foreseen this possibility, and had taken my trusty poncho with me.
So, other than getting my walking shoes wet, I actually had a pleasant little walk. As I did, I thought a lot about rain, ultimately concluding that few things are as right at rain!
Allow me to suggest a few reasons why this is so...
I. RAIN CLEANSES
The local utility company has been busy putting in a new water line on the road in which we live. Suffice it to say that the result has been a dirty mess, initially from mud piled everywhere as the ground was dug up, and inevitably as the mud dried out, a dusty nightmare. Seemingly every part of our road and driveway was covered with either mud or dust ( if not both), not to mention our vehicles, etc… And then… “Voilà!” Once the rains came, the mud and dust were both quickly washed away.
II. RAIN NOURISHES
We had spent the past couple of weeks putting topsoil in the low parts of our yard and planting grass seed there. I have been busy watering these spots daily in order to nurture them along. But when the rains came, they accomplished more in a single 48 hour stretch than I could ever hope to accomplish at an hour a day for a whole week.
III. RAIN TRANSFORMS
Our weather team on the local television station news has told us that, once our weekend drenching comes to an end, we can now expect multiple “pleasant” fall days filled with sunshine, mild temperatures, and little to no humidity.
Now, consider the spiritual implications of all of this. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the “Living Water”, Who alone satisfies our spiritual thirst. As such, He gives us three essential things.
The first of these is spiritual cleansing. By His blood, we are washed and made clean. Secondly, He then nourishes us through His Word, helping us to become strong in our spirit. Finally, He transforms us completely from what we once were into what all He desires us to be.
While I myself am nowhere near perfect, I am nonetheless a work in progress. That work began when Christ cleansed me by His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. It continued as He began to nurture me in my spiritual growth through inundation in His Word. And to this very day, I am continually being transformed by Him, as the old man within me gives way daily to the new man I am becoming.
I hope you share this same testimony. If not, you can. You too can be cleansed form the consequential residue of a filthy past. You too can find genuine nourishment for your soul, the kind for which you were intended, and which alone will give you authentic and lasting satisfaction. And best of all, you too can begin to become who you were meant to be, fulfilling all of the purposes for which you were created.
Now that, my friends, is as right as rain!
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/bsb/john/4.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/john/7.htm;
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/The-Water-Of-Life.
NOTE: I penned these words fully cognizant of what the people of the Gulf Coast states have recently undergone. I realize that what we have experienced from the residue of hurricanes here in east Tennessee is miniscule in comparison to what these individuals have undergone; and my thoughts here are in no way intended to diminish or undermine what they have endured. As always, my prayers, as well as my financial resources (the latter through official denominational channels), keep going out to them.
For this reason, once we sense that we do not get enough rain, we soon begin to pray for it. At other times, when we feel we have had enough of rain, we soon begin to sing about it: “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.”
Over the last four of five weeks, we have now experienced the remnants of three consecutive Gulf Coast hurricanes as they have spun themselves out overhead here in east Tennessee. Needless to say, as of late, we have been doing more singing than praying!
This is not to say that this rain has not been welcome. The couple of inches that have drenched us this time have certainly tempered the dust that usually accompanies the dryness of fall. But when the dust turns to mud, the blessing can become a hassle.
I had gone walking this morning, and had barely gotten a half a mile from our house, when the bottom fell out of the clouds and the rain began to fall in torrents. Thankfully, due to an earlier heads’ up from my wife, I had foreseen this possibility, and had taken my trusty poncho with me.
So, other than getting my walking shoes wet, I actually had a pleasant little walk. As I did, I thought a lot about rain, ultimately concluding that few things are as right at rain!
Allow me to suggest a few reasons why this is so...
I. RAIN CLEANSES
The local utility company has been busy putting in a new water line on the road in which we live. Suffice it to say that the result has been a dirty mess, initially from mud piled everywhere as the ground was dug up, and inevitably as the mud dried out, a dusty nightmare. Seemingly every part of our road and driveway was covered with either mud or dust ( if not both), not to mention our vehicles, etc… And then… “Voilà!” Once the rains came, the mud and dust were both quickly washed away.
II. RAIN NOURISHES
We had spent the past couple of weeks putting topsoil in the low parts of our yard and planting grass seed there. I have been busy watering these spots daily in order to nurture them along. But when the rains came, they accomplished more in a single 48 hour stretch than I could ever hope to accomplish at an hour a day for a whole week.
III. RAIN TRANSFORMS
Our weather team on the local television station news has told us that, once our weekend drenching comes to an end, we can now expect multiple “pleasant” fall days filled with sunshine, mild temperatures, and little to no humidity.
Now, consider the spiritual implications of all of this. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the “Living Water”, Who alone satisfies our spiritual thirst. As such, He gives us three essential things.
The first of these is spiritual cleansing. By His blood, we are washed and made clean. Secondly, He then nourishes us through His Word, helping us to become strong in our spirit. Finally, He transforms us completely from what we once were into what all He desires us to be.
While I myself am nowhere near perfect, I am nonetheless a work in progress. That work began when Christ cleansed me by His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. It continued as He began to nurture me in my spiritual growth through inundation in His Word. And to this very day, I am continually being transformed by Him, as the old man within me gives way daily to the new man I am becoming.
I hope you share this same testimony. If not, you can. You too can be cleansed form the consequential residue of a filthy past. You too can find genuine nourishment for your soul, the kind for which you were intended, and which alone will give you authentic and lasting satisfaction. And best of all, you too can begin to become who you were meant to be, fulfilling all of the purposes for which you were created.
Now that, my friends, is as right as rain!
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/bsb/john/4.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/john/7.htm;
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/The-Water-Of-Life.
NOTE: I penned these words fully cognizant of what the people of the Gulf Coast states have recently undergone. I realize that what we have experienced from the residue of hurricanes here in east Tennessee is miniscule in comparison to what these individuals have undergone; and my thoughts here are in no way intended to diminish or undermine what they have endured. As always, my prayers, as well as my financial resources (the latter through official denominational channels), keep going out to them.