Rain
This morning I was sitting on my bed next to the open window, watching as a rainstorm descended on our valley. The rain came down like a thick curtain, as trees, grass, and vines bent before the downpour. As the rain pounded on the roof over my head, I heard an unexpected sound.
In the mango tree right outside the window, a little bird started to sing it’s heart out. “What a strange time to start singing.” I thought, as I listened to its cheery voice. If I were the one getting hammered by the rain, I wouldn’t feel like singing.
But then I looked around a bit, and I noticed the luxuriant growth of our garden, the living green of the rice fields and the dense jungle. Vines climbed to the topmost branches of the trees. The little strip of jungle between me and the river had grown so thick, that it completely blocked my view of the river beyond. A very short time ago, only a few scraggly trees had stood there, with some brown grass decorating the dirt, now it was an impenetrable mass of green. How had all this amazing growth come about? What made such a huge difference?
There is only one answer. Rain. Not just a little rain, but lots of rain! Rain with wind, and thunder and lightning. Sheets of rain being driven with the wind. Rain, pouring in such torrents that it turned our hillsides into rivers of water that filled the thirsty rice fields, which sent its excess flowing in a wild torrent down through the fields to the creek beyond. That is the kind of rain that produced this impressive growth and beauty.
What about us? In recent months, we have experienced storms in our world unlike anything we have ever seen before. Storm after storm has poured down on us. Lightning, thunder, fire, whirlwinds and floods. Nothing is the same. The world has been turned upside down, and there is no relief in sight. We might be tempted to wonder why all these things are happening to us. But just like that little bird in the tree, we should be singing praises to God because he is creating something beautiful.
We need these storms in order to grow. We need difficulties and trials to show us the weak places in our characters. We need upheaval and fire and flood to wrench from our hearts the selfishness, the greed and stubborn pride. Storms can cause devastation, or beauty, depending on our response to them. If we turn to Jesus, and keep His glory always in view, He will use these storms to create indescribable beauty in our lives. But if we look to self, and to problems and the horrors surrounding us, we will be pulled down with them into nothingness.
Let’s keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as He is preparing us for a better country. Sometimes it takes a flood to get us motivated to move. Jesus must prepare us for a better place by unwinding our tendrils from this world, and directing our gaze to a much better land. We can cooperate with Him by standing up in the storms and singing his praise with our whole hearts. Don’t you think it is time to sing in the rain?
“Stand for Jesus,
Don’t be ashamed,
Stand for Jesus,
Praise His name
For He loved us on that rugged cross with arms out opened wide, Stand for Jesus,
He’s standing by your side.”