The Rain(bow)
“Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” – Genesis 9:14-15
Dear Friends,
Boy, did we need that rain!
I’m looking out my window today and it’s gorgeous! The sun is shining and temperature is an absolutely perfect 74 degrees… meanwhile yesterday we woke up to a thick fog and the day before that was covered in rain – not a torrential downpour, but a constant and consistent rain that kept the skies dark for most of the day.
It was on Monday, in the midst of the rain, that I was thinking just how much this rain was necessary. First and foremost for the ground – it looks like nearly every blade of grass has turned a marigold-yellow and nearly every flower is hanging on by a thread to keep from wilting into oblivion. The earth really needed that rain. But also… we needed that rain. We needed that pause, that disruption, that extra second it took to grab an umbrella or slow down on the road. We needed to hear that pitter-patter on our roof and in the puddles, a reprieve from the unrelenting heat, a different sort of day… in part, so when the sun does shine again – and it did, and it will – we enjoy it that much more.
We need… (irony upon ironies, as I write this, someone enters my office…) we need to be interrupted and woken up, and to be comforted and encouraged and presented with the faithfulness and multi-facetedness of God.
On Wednesday night at Pine Springs Camp, we were confronted with a big rain that washed out our usual “Wednesday Night Game.” The staff pivoted to something else – some extra praise time and a trivia game inside the refuge, away from the downpour and the lighting. At first, it was a disappointment. We were all told how great this year’s game was. But it was just what we needed. I’d been a bit surprised this year, because our nearly 40 middle schoolers seemed pretty tired throughout the week. They were always up for an adventure… but at the same time were clamoring for their “Flat On Bunk” time. The campers, the volunteers and the staff were blessed with a break on Wednesday night because of the rain.
When it was all over, we exited the Refuge (so aptly named), to the most beautiful sight – a rainbow! Faint at first, it kept growing and growing and within twenty minutes it was a full, double rainbow that stretched across the entire sky! And it became, just another reminder of God’s gracious faithfulness. We need not be worried, we need not be afraid, God is at work, even in the down times, the disappointments, the lulls and gaps and if we have eyes to see it and ears to hear it, we will filled with that all-surpassing peace and joy.
I’m so grateful for the rain. I needed it – last Wednesday, this past Monday… and whenever it shows up next.
Welcoming You to Grow in Jesus – one rain shower and rainbow at a time!
Pastor Don