Read: Psalm 147:8; Jeremiah 5:21-24; Jeremiah 10:13; Jeremiah 14:22; Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17
Oh LORD have mercy. Those words were the first ones I said when I heard about the devastation that was lashing California. So many people have been evacuated and now know that there is nothing left of their homes. So many have been injured and many have died. Churches in the area are helping meet immediate needs. A demonstration of God's mercy in answer to many prayers. Perhaps, some will come to know the God in Whose name people have reached out to them. The One Whose love has no limits and Who wants each one to know His personal love for them, John 3:16.
As I thought about the God of the Bible--the Only God--I was saddened that so much truth about Him has been shoved aside by the world like unwanted rags that are no longer needed. Precious truth about Who God is. Truths about His power and how He is still at work in the world He both created and sustains, Colossians 1:15-17. So many do not know that He is the Creator. No wonder they mock praying to Him. They aren't awed by His limitless power because that truth has been abandoned. In its place, we are left to hold things together and solve every problem. Praise God this isn't true. Praise God that we have a Refuge, Psalm 46:1. One Who is here to help in times of trouble. One Who can change the clouds around at His bidding. Let's remind ourselves of the power that Almighty God has concerning only one thing. The rain. Psalm 147:8. Here God states that He covers the heavens with clouds and He provides the earth with rain. Simple and matter-of-fact. Why not cry out for help from the One Who can provide what we need.
If we knew the manager of a warehouse that was filled to capacity with bottled water, and there was no available water, wouldn't we ask him to open the doors and give us what we lacked? Jeremiah 5:21-24. What a picture the prophet gives us of God's power. He is the One Who places limits on His creation. The sea is under His control, and He brings the rain. Yet, God is not esteemed even though His power is so amazing. His wisdom is on display every day. We see the orderliness of what He has made; yet those wonders have been disregarded by most people in the world. Calling them merely happenstance. No wonder praying seems foolish to them. They have not yet come to know the One Who loves them. The One for Whom nothing is impossible, Jeremiah 32:26-27. Another reminder that God is the Master over the rain and clouds. As it was when He created the world with His word, His word now can bring rain and clouds wherever He wants them to be. Jeremiah 10:13. The disciples learned this truth when they were in a fierce storm, Mark 4:35-41. Jesus had fallen asleep, and they were bailing out the water that was coming into the boat. Fearing for their lives. When they woke Jesus up, He simply commanded the wind and the waves to be still. Their response? They were terrified and wondered, "Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey Him". They had passed out food when Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish. They had gathered up the basketfuls of leftover fragments; yet the fact that Jesus simply spoke to the storm caused them to be in awe. The answer to their question concerning who Jesus was had only one correct response. They were in the boat with God. The only One Whose word could cause the clouds and rain to cease and calm the sea.
Matthew 5:45. I love this simple verse. Truth that Jesus shared during His Sermon on the Mount. God is the One Who provides both rain and sunshine. Both are good gifts. Israel is somewhat like our own Western South Dakota in that rain is very needed. A precious gift. Maybe that's why I sometimes stand out on the deck to thank God when a nice rain starts falling. Thanking the Giver as so many others also do. He reminds us here that He shares this precious gift with those who acknowledge Him and those who don't. No wonder He wants those of us who know Him to show kindness to everyone. When we do that, we show others what God is like. The One Who doesn't withhold His rain and sunshine even from those who don't honor Him.
Acts 14:17. Another reminder that the rain and the fruitfulness produced by it are good gifts from God. Reminders of Who He is and His desire that people will long to know the One Who gives these gifts. They are like little billboards that say that Someone provided all of this. They are given that people might ask the question, "who is this?" When there is a beautiful painting, people who love art often desire to know about the artist whose skill is on display. How much more should someone who has received God's good gifts want to know the One Whose kindness he has enjoyed all of his life? That is God's desire. That His good gifts would cause men to want to come to know Him.
In Job 38:25-28, God Himself speaks about the rain:
Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
to water a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,
to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?
Does the rain have a father?
Who fathers the drops of dew?
With these truths in mind, let's ask God to bring rain to California. Father, We know that Your mercy is needed in so many lives; so we ask for not only physical rain but that You will pour out Your Spirit into the lives of the hurting people who are suffering loss in so many areas. We know that no rain is predicted, but we know that You can turn around the clouds and provide it at the best time. May those who are helping and working be kept safe, and may many come to know Jesus, the Creator/Redeemer. May people be awed by You and say, "Who is this?" The One Who answers our prayers for mercy for the people who are suffering in California.
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