Healing Rain

We live in what is considered the high desert. Summers are hot and dry around here. We might not see rain for months. That is a stark contrast to growing up on the east coast and hearing people complain that we were in a drought because it hadn't rained in a week. Toward the end of summer everything is covered in a fine layer of dust. Anything that is not being hit by a sprinkler is dry, brown, and brittle. Not very pretty and not much use except as fuel for a fire. Then fall rolls around and the rain comes in. A healing rain. One that washes away all the dust and dirt out of the air. It brings relief from the scorching hot sun and brings life back to the earth. You can almost hear a sigh in the air. I have heard the line from the song Healing Rain...a healing rain is falling down, let it rain, let it rain. I never really understood it until I lived in a place that is dry and desperate for moisture. It's like our lives though. Sometimes our souls feel dry and brittle. We are covered in a fine layer of dust. Illness, stress, financial problems, death, heartache, and failures lie all around us. We aren't much use for anything and at any moment it feels we might be consumed by the wildfire burning around us. We need a healing rain. One that can wash away the dust and bring life back into our souls. One that only God can bring. A healing that will bring peace and joy in the midst of our trials. He said that in our weakness His strength will be made known. The past month has been one of heartache and trials for many people in my life. Words like cancer, divorce, adultery, death, surgery, abandonment, alcoholism, and suicide have been the topic of conversation. I have moments when I shake my fist and wonder why. I am reminded though that God is not the author of confusion and fear. He is the conqueror of those things. He is not the one to bring destruction. He is greater than the one that brings destruction. God will devour Satan. He will stop the one that seeks to kill and destroy us. My God is mightier. That is what I hold onto in those quiet moments when I wonder why, how, when will all of these things be solved. God has a plan to prosper us. He will bring a healing rain. We just have to ask.