Hope for Today

The rain pitter-pattered down on our roof and my eyes drifted shut as my heart sighed its thankfulness for the moisture. When I awoke this morning, one of the first things I noticed was the overcast view out our bedroom window. When you have waited and prayed and prayed and waited for even a tiny bit of rain, or at least a break in the awful heat, there is a rest and peace that overwhelmes you when it finally arrives.

Many people have experianced an awful drought this year. As the sun beats unmercifully down on our planet and the plants try to suck any remaining moisture out of the soil, the devil tries to suck the hope from our hearts. He tells us that it just might never rain again, and taunts us when we hear someone else got rain. His awful whine reverberates through us as we see our flowers struggling to bloom and our green beans forgetting to bear fruit. His incessant groaning withers our thankfulness; it turns our eyes to the brown patches in the lawn and the knee high corn in the field.

When we fail to block out Satan's tactics, we miss the things God is trying to show us, like the thunderhead building in the distance and the happiness we could feel for our friend that got rain when we just got wind. We forget to marvel over the sunflowers doggedly blooming along the side of the road, and the squash that we pick from our garden.

I think that Jesus knows how hard it is to see the beauty in a place that is more brown than green. He knows how hot the soil gets when it's so dry. Long ago, he walked many miles on the hot Isrealite soil. I'm sure the dust seaped into his sandals and burned his feet.

Today, as I weeded my flower beds, I was grateful for the cooler weather not only because it helps the plants, but also because it refreshes my soul. I would like to think that God looked down and saw how we are struggling with this everlasting need for rain and decided to give our spirits a boost with a little shower. He saw how we sighed as we looked over the struggling fields and wanted us to smile again. He wanted me to find my thankfulness again, because it was getting buried beneath the dust.

Lets pray for each other; we are in this together. Let's pray that when we look out our windows we can find something to be thankful for and that we don't loose our hope for tomorrow. God loves us and cares for us; he won't allow life to be dismal if we rest in His peace.