Singing After The Rain

​Rain. Rain. And more rain.
Our neck of the woods recently experienced a week of thunderstorm, tornado and flash flood warnings as copious amounts of rain fell from heavenly places. I caught myself humming the little jingle “Rain, rain, go away, come back another day!”
It did rain a number of another days!
It rained so much I wondered if we needed to build an Ark!
Thunderstorms, tornadoes  and rain did considerable damage in Oklahoma. But nothing like the massive destruction from tornadic winds and flood waters that devastated the Midwest, Southern and Eastern sections of the United States.  
My heart breaks and goes out to so many whose lives have been turned inside out and upside down by storm after storm that ravaged their families, homes, businesses, towns and cities.

• Please join with me daily in prayer for the recovery, restoration and rebuilding of storm ravaged areas. Pray especially for precious people who lost loved ones. In an instant, family members were suddenly gone. Homes were destroyed. In a terrifying moment, life changed forever.  
• Ask the Lord to comfort and heal hurting, grieving hearts. Ask God to provide wisdom, direction and what do we do now steps as tens of thousands in our nation are in a recovery and rebuilding mode.

On the last day of the storms here in Tulsa, I drove to a park a few miles from our house to wait on the Lord and pray. For fifty years, getting away regularly each week to meet with the Lord at secluded lakes or parks is one of my favorite things in life.
The rain had ceased. Clouds were breaking up and moving out.  Rays of golden sunlight broke through the dark, foreboding clouds that had blanketed the skies for days.  When I stepped out of my car, I was blown away! (Not from storms).

• What captured and captivated my attention was the melodic symphony, a concert of scores and scores of birds SINGING AFTER THE RAIN!   

Cardinals. Blue Jays. Robins.  Gold Finch. Wrens.  Blue Birds. Sparrows. Ravens. Blackbirds. Hawks soaring overhead were singing their little bird hearts out. Creations’ chorus was singing Hallelujah to our Creator! The storms are gone. All clear. Safe to come out from hiding. Find food. Fly around. Do what birds do.

• My heart soared! I am not a bird. (Sometimes my precious wife thinks I am a bird brain!). Nevertheless,  Steve Roll, from the bottom of his lungs, shouted praise to the Lord for stilling the storms. Simply amazing! God’s creation was singing after the rain…and I joined them!!!

Rain can be good and not so good. I get it. So do you. But I learned something from the birds…singing after the rain is a good thing!!!
Just a thought for you and me as Christians.  As God’s people we should sing during and after the rain. Sing God’s praises for the rain that the earth needs. Sing His praises for shielding us from tornadoes and flooding. Look to Him and praise Him for protecting us and directing us how to recover from any storm damage.
The two verses below exhort and encourage us to rejoice in the Lord always and always give thanks in everything. I love Paul’s emphasis on “always “ in both verses.
“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.” Philippians 4:4
“In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:18

• No matter what the immediate outcome of thunderstorms and rain, I believe it is a powerful thing for God’s creation (including you and me) to praise and give thanks to the Creator. Everybody should say Amen!

 

• So, my brothers and sisters in Christ, the next time it rains, after it ceases, sing the praises of God! It will make you feel good like the birds.

A Word For Your Week:  Sing praise to God after the rain.