“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it give seed to the sower, bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Is. 55:10-11

Pandemic, social unrest, financial instability, political divisiveness, the uncertainty of our times, the loss of normality, work stress and tension all lend to a feeling of being in a very dry and thirsty place right now. I found myself this past week, feeling the strains of it all and my spirit and soul longed for refreshment and watering. I could literally picture my soul looking like dry, parched and cracked ground. I felt utterly depleted in the moment. So I turned to the place I know where I can find water for my thirsty soul, the Bible.

I was reminded in my reading that God refreshed Himself after six days of labor and created Sabbath (Ex. 31:17), that Elihu who held his peace in listening to Job’s friends, finally opened his mouth and he said it would refresh (relieve) him to let go of his thoughts (Job 32:20) and that friendship and fellowship brings refreshing to one’s spirit (1 Cor. 16:18). I am also reminded that Jesus told the woman at the well that the living water He offers will cause one to never thirst (John 4:13-14) and that He offers to all who thirst to drink and believe in Him, rivers of living water shall flow from their belly (John 7:37-38). These texts help me in my moment of thirst and dryness then I remembered the picture I took a few months ago…

On the particular morning I captured the image above, I was contemplating the times we have found ourselves in and the freshness, the greenery of the scene caught my attention to remind me that God is continually renewing, refreshing His creation. Nothing happens that God is not already aware of and the promise of Is. 55:10-11 is that His word, His intention, His will is never done wantonly but with a specific purpose and outcome in mind. Sometimes I wonder if we aren’t missing His word, not just the preached word or the text of the Bible, but the various ways in which God speaks…in rainbows and miracles but also storms and earthquakes, in the whirling of wind and the peace of a still summer’s eve, in the cries of a newborn baby and in the last sighs of death or even in pandemic and unrest. He spoke creation into being and it was. He is speaking even now and I am unsure of what He is creating or re-creating, but I will rest in the knowledge that His word is refreshment for my soul and water for my thirsty spirit and that whatever He is doing in this season it is on purpose with an intent to prosper. This is the true rain that refreshes.