Whether the Weather

11.12.11

Job 37.13 13 He brings the clouds to punish people, or to water his earth and show his love. NIV

“My father was a farmer but his head was in the skies

He worked every day but Sunday ‘til the day he died.

He prayed for rain and thunder, and listened for the sound.

In the dry years he went under; he never got off the ground.”

-       Allison Krauss

“Never Got Off the Ground”

I suppose there are two ways to look at rainy days: God’s punishment or God’s love. In the song lyrics it looked like punishment. I guess it depends on what the rain does to you as to whether it’s punishment or love. When I worked on a cattle ranch, I felt the rain was always love – I got to get out of changing irrigation pipe!

This past week was a hard week of sales for me but at least I got sunshine every day. Today was snow. It seems I do better when the sun’s shining than when it’s cloudy and pouring. But the statement from Job caught my attention and made me think about what I think about rain and snow and cloudy days. Karen Carpenter sang that rainy days and Mondays always brought her down. There is just something inevitable about rain and the beginning of the work-week.

Job says, “He brings the clouds to punish people, or to water his earth and show his love.” It all depends on how we look at it. God’s love is not gauged by the weather although we men tend to think in those kinds of terms. God’s love is immeasurable both in its quantity, and quality. Rain has nothing to do with whether God loves us or not, but it sure can spoil a party or an occasion. And sometimes rain is used by God to get us to go in another direction – God will use whatever means to direct us to where He wants us to be. The question will be, will we get it when we get there?

Rain can be God’s love expressed in the words of water – uh, change of plans! It’s amazing how we all seem to act in a rain shower – the hurry and hustle to dodge the drops and make it to shelter with as few water marks as possible. But despite sunshine or clouds, rain or dry God’s love is there for the taking for you and me: it’s all in how we approach it. And rainy days don’t last forever and sometimes we just need a good soaking. Whether or not we get the rain and thunder, it’s God Himself who directs our lives and when we look only to Him, sales or no, rain or no, He will get us through and will do it according to His divine will and the outcome in our lives will be indescribably good – and eternally so.

It’s not that rain is never a nuisance, but it is true we have absolutely no control over rain and when it decides to show up. However, God’s love is a constant and seems to be impervious to water and weather. It also seems to be resistant to circumstances and situations. And God’s love can be a great comfort in the midst of great pain or disappointment: it’s all in how we respond.

So whether it’s to punish or to please, how God uses the weather is not the issue: it’s how we choose to respond to His use of nature and what it does to our hearts. BTW: I have steeled my heart for this coming week. The forecast is for clouds and snow and I’ll be out in it trying to make a living with God’s presence with me all the while …