Rain

An old picture of Noah in the rain 

He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.

Hosea 6:3b

There's a wonderfully damp, pouring rain dancing on the sidewalk leading up to my front door.  I just got fairly drenched leaving work and walking the 30 steps to my car.  It's raining in Northern California.  And it's wonderful.


We've had an unusually dry winter so far, and we don't get any rain in the summer, so it's been a LONG time since we've had a downpour.  As a girl growing up in Missouri, I loved thunderstorms that would bring hard rains.  I look forward to the winter rains of this area: they clean the air, make the foothills of Mount Diablo a gorgeous green, and give people a reason to be thankful for the 300 days of perfect blue skies we have every year.


The rain is a wonderful reminder of the faithfulness of our Lord.  A passage that's special to my husband and me, Hosea chapter 6 likens the healing that comes from the Lord to that of the seasonal rains.

“Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces 

but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”  (verses 1-3)

Indeed, the Lord disciplines us.  Especially during the season of Lent, it's easy to be aware of the punishment that our sin brings.  But the Lord is faithful.  He promises to heal us and restore us to him.  "On the third day," when Jesus rose from the grave, he finalized that work and promises that one day we will live in the presence of our Lord, by his grace.