Articles
The Rains
The temperatures are going up, and with it, the rain begins to come down. The rain of spring is arriving. We are not the only climate to receive spring rain. From Pekin to Palestine, it rains in the spring. The Bible talks about the rain of spring.
In the Old Testament, the rain is to be understood as a blessing from God.
And it shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, that He will provide rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, so that you may gather your grain, your new wine, and your oil. He will also provide grass in your field for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
Deuteronomy 11:13-15
So shout for joy, you sons of Zion,
And rejoice in the LORD your God;
For He has given you the early rain for your vindication.
And He has brought down for you the rain,
The early and latter rain as before.
Joel 2:23
The rain is also representative of life.
In the light of a king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain.
Proverbs 16:15
In the New Testament, the rain is used to teach about patience.
Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
James 5:7
Perhaps this verse in James is especially applicable to us. The farmer waits for the rain. And truthfully, I would venture to say that we all have been waiting to see signs of spring after a cold winter. However, the real point of the verse is not about rain. Waiting for rain is simply used to illustrate something far more important—the coming of the Lord.
Most of us struggle with patience. People who lived about 2000 years ago were similar to us in many ways. They were told to be patient concerning the coming of the Lord. There is not much that I can do as an individual to summon the rain. I just need to be patient. Similarly, we ought to long for the coming of the Lord. Be patient. The rain will come. More importantly, Jesus will come. Are you ready?
