What sounds wake you up in the night? For me it was the sound of distant thunder. About 2 hours ago, it was slightly muffled, and I knew it was far away but there it was. Hopefully, the promise of rain.
All around us there has been rain but here in our little community we’ve had very little. As I listened the thunder seemed to be coming closer and then the patter of rain drops on the roof. At first, I stayed in bed thinking it was but a brief shower. To my pleasant surprise it wasn’t. It’s a gentle shower, not a pelting deluge, that has continued for well over an hour.
I walked out on the patio and just stood there taking it all in. There is something so soothing about the smell of rain in the desert. The dry earth welcoming the moisture; the sage brush, palo verde, mesquite, saguaro and the ocotillo exhale their dryness and welcome the refreshing.
Oh, the refreshing! The welcomed refreshing.
“When your land was thirsty, you sent showers to refresh it.” Psalm 68:9 CEV
“Thirsty deserts will be glad; barren lands will celebrate and blossom with flowers. 2 Deserts will bloom everywhere and sing joyful songs. They will be as majestic as Mount Lebanon, as glorious as Mount Carmel or Sharon Valley. Everyone will see the wonderful splendor of the Lord our God.” Isaiah 35:1-2 CEV
But rain isn’t just for the dry ground or the barren desert. The Lord promises a refreshing for our souls.
“I will bless the thirsty land by sending streams of water; I will bless your descendants by giving them my Spirit. 4 They will spring up like grass or like willow trees near flowing streams.” Isaiah 44:3-4 CEV
“Let’s do our best to know the Lord. His coming is as certain as the morning sun;
he will refresh us like rain renewing the earth in the springtime.” Hosea 6:3 CEV
“The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love.” Zephaniah 3:17 CEV
“You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water,
3 and you refresh my life.” Psalm 23:2-3 CEV
There’s only a few light sprinkles falling now but the earth is refreshed. Let me share one more verse of refreshing with you.
“Rain and snow fall from the sky. But they don’t return without watering the earth that produces seeds to plant and grain to eat. 11 That’s how it is with my words. They don’t return to me without doing everything I send them to do.” Isaiah 55:10-11 CEV
God’s word is like the rain that showers the earth bringing new life and refreshing. If you are thirsty, if you are dry, look to God’s word and soak in the rain of His Spirit.