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| My Gerber daisies that thrived through the storms |
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your
fallow ground: for it is time
to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Hosea 10:12
It rained for eight
days straight in my Georgia town, then we had a reprieve for five days. Now it’s been raining for the last four
days. Summer showers are buffeting the
earth, watering the thirsty soil.
Sometimes it seems
trials and troubles fall down on us like the rain. A deluge of disappointments wash out our
plans. When we think surely nothing else
can go wrong, the bottom falls out. (Which means in Southern talk that it comes down like a flood.)
What do we do in
times like that? We seek the LORD. And patience grows. We pray, pray, pray, and ask for His
mercy. Our faith grows stronger. We consider the sufferings of others. Our heart of compassion grows.
The storm of trials
has served to bring spiritual nourishment into our lives. We draw near to God;
He draws near to us. Our soul is thirsty
for Him.
And when the rain
stops, the flowers appear like garlands, and the world has put on a vibrant
green garment.
To appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees
of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isaiah
61:3
Oh that we would seek the Lord in both the storms of our life and during the sunniest of times. But perhaps more importantly, that we would seek him during the drizzles and overcast days. I fear we try to often to handle those days on our own.
ReplyDeleteRebecca, you make a very good point about those in-between days. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete