Where Rain Comes From

“Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, for he makes the storm clouds. And he will send showers of rain so every field becomes a lush pasture.”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭10:1‬ ‭

It rained!

Seriously!

It rains every spring, you may be thinking. No biggie. It’s just water.

But – last spring it didn’t rain. Hardly rained all summer, either. Words like drought were floating around. Our water source for our garden, our dugout, was almost down to the dregs by fall.

Dry, dry, dry.

The raspberries were a fraction of their better selves. Ditto the strawberries. I spent hours and hours hauling around heavy hoses and with the size of my growing space, no sooner had I finished watering the entire place, I had to start again at the beginning.

Lots. Of. Work.

So a solid rain at the beginning of the season like this is a gift, and no mistake.

Now, if we hadn’t experienced a spring with no rain, I would be looking at this soak with different eyes. Maybe I’d expect it as my due. Maybe I’d be annoyed and want sunshine.

But oh, mama, this rain is a meaningful one.

And it gets me thinking. What else that God gives do I take for granted? I mean, this Old Testament writer definitely affirms that rain comes from God. What else that I get for free do I totally expect as a given?

Hmmm.

I bet – I bet, there’s a lot.

We don’t always know where rain comes from, do we? I mean to say, we just expect it to happen when we want it. We complain when it doesn’t come on time. We grumble when it is too little or too much or too far between or falls on a day we want to host an outdoor party or –

You get the idea.

Right now, right here, I’m thankful.

I’m thankful for the gift of rain, that will green up the grass and provide strawberries and flowers and beauty and food potential.

I’m thankful I didn’t have to haul a heavy hose around.

I’m thankful I didn’t even need to fill a watering can.

It smells good. The air is fresh. The dust on the grid roads is settled.

I know where that rain came from.

Give God credit for His gifts with me?

Father, You hold the rain and You send it to earth for our benefit. It is a gift. Forgive us for taking Your good gift for granted! Open our eyes to how wondrous rain really is. Amen.