I Love the Rain

I know many people don't like it when it rains, and that there are some folks who get the blues when it's rainy. But I've always loved the rain.

I think it would be very interesting for someone to do an in-depth study on the Bible's 'Theology of Water'. Of course, the chances are good that someone has done such a study and has published something on it, and I'm just not aware of it. But as with many things, my surface level impression is that Scripture's theology of water is rather robust. There are a number of times when water is expressive of divine wrath and judgment. The Genesis flood obviously comes to mind, but there are also a number of psalms (Ps. 42 as one example) where water seems to be portrayed as an ominous force. On the other hand, water is also expressive of abundant life and blessing. The great final vision of Rev 22 of the waters flowing out from the new temple providing abundant life is the most obvious example.

In my lifetime, I've personally seen both sides of this coin. I've seen terrible droughts and have watched the beauty of creation literally dry up and die from a lack of water. On the other hand, I've also seen the destructive power of water; especially when I went into the New Orleans flood zone on a missions trip shortly after Katrina.

So I know that water has the power to be destructive and harmful. Yet, I still love the rain. To me, rain is the great giver of life to virtually all living things on this planet. When we're in the midst of drought, as we have been for most of this year, I find myself getting very sad watching plant life die, and the landscape turn brown and dusty. It's always a sober reminder that life is fragile, and that self-sufficiency might sound good, but doesn't really work over the long haul.

I love to watch the rain. For me, it's one of those very simple pleasures that brings joy to my life. Rain relaxes me and ironically makes me feel pleasurably small. When I watch the rain, I feel like I'm watching life itself. The earth and everything in it is being nourished and fed, and there are times when I totally get lost in the moment of seeing God's creation and ecosystem at work right in front of me. After a long day of working hard on supposedly important vocational concerns, I discover my smallness when I sit on the porch in the evening and watch the rain. I always consider it an enormous privilege that God has allowed me to glimpse his divine stewardship over his creation, and this never fails to evoke rejoicing over God's goodness in making constant and regular provision for his creation.

As Colossians 1 says, all of creation was created by God and for God, and it is through God the Son that all things hold together. While much of what God does to sustain his creation is invisible and goes unnoticed, the rain of life is the most captivating way I see the truth of Colossians 1.

I love the rain, and I love the God who makes the rain even more.