Rain

I love rain. Typing these thoughts now of an evening, at my desk in the conservatory, I find the gentle pattering of rain on the roof very comforting. Scripture tells us that "the rain falls on the just and on the unjust," and it's easy for us to interpret this as being about the distribution of life's problems and reverses (or so I suppose, as I see how few people around me seem to share my love of rain!). And it can be a sort of comfort to know that bad people have sad times too, in a similar way to the times when you're told to "look around, you'll always see someone worse off than yourself".

Working years ago for a missionary organisation, I heard the story of a head office staff member waiting to meet a mission partner arriving from West Africa, I think from Senegal. It was a grey and rainy day, and when they met, my colleague felt moved to apologise for the British weather. "Goodness, don't apologise," replied his African visitor, "this is wonderful!"

Though I live high on the hillside, I'm aware of course that the rain can bring some problems - we can see when the river far below us breaks out of its usual course, and how heavy the traffic gets on the one road into town from that direction that doesn't get closed by the floods. My farming friends are unhappy too when the rain disrupts their working plans for the week, or makes the grazing fields too soft and muddy for the cattle. But they've been less happy still through most of this year, because there has been so little rain, and the land has been much too dry.

Farmers seem rarely to be happy with the prevailing weather at the best of times, I know - but too dry is worse than too wet I think, and rain in the Bible is always a sign of blessing, not reproach. That the rain falls on the just and on the unjust expresses a wonderful truth that we too often overlook in our readiness to moan and complain: that God blesses liberally both those who seek his blessing and those who turn from him or fail to see him. We are surrounded by signs of his love and care. Be aware of them!