Rain
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, rain is a normal part of your life. This is why people joke that the Washington state motto is: “Rain? What rain?” and why people claim: "We don't tan in the northwest, we rust!"
The past several months have been some of the wettest in history and February boasted only two sunny days out of 28. But we all know that rain is good, right? Rain brings life, not just for plants, but for everything that lives. I came across this prayer in my study this morning and felt like it really puts rain in perspective.
There is no sound like rain, God. Rain on a roof, rain on the ground, rain in the trees, it's all good. There is a sense of newness in your rain, God.
There is a sense of second chances. You send your rain to care for the Earth. It brings new life and new hope. The rain brings relief. We need these things too, God. We need new life. We need new hope. God, we need relief and rescue that only you can provide.
There is joy in the rain. There is joy in the drenching feeling of playing in the rain. There is peace in the sound and the smell of it. Wash away all that covers us, God. Our sin clings to us like dirt. Make us new, God.
Thank you for your cleansing rain, God. Thank you for the cleansing forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Thank you for second chances. Thank you for the reminder of new life around us through your rain. Thank you for the sound and the smell of the rain, God.
Thank you! Amen.