Labor in the Rain

Written By: Kirk Peterson

The lawn was in dire need and it was time to go to work. I had just got back from a good meeting with my Bible study group.  God was close. He had taught me something and when God speaks to you, it is nothing short of awesome.  Just as I was getting to the end of the yard work, a light drizzle started falling.  I looked up to the heavens and was grateful for the light rain to cool me off.

Now that I was done with the yard work, it was a good time to actually fix the lawn.  My wife loves to garden, it is one of her passions in life and we had some soil brought in to help build up our garden.  Though we finally got the rich soil we needed it came with a cost.  The truck tires sunk into our yard and left some mighty fine tire tracks in its wake. That’s a problem to a dude who wants to have a half way decent yard to live in.

There is a tool called a Tamper you can use to pound out the soil.  Not easy work. Just as I was about to start, the light drizzle the Lord had blessed me with became a solid rain--no better time to put in some work right?

God had fanned a flame in my soul. It came with a simple thought, “I like to be close to the ones I love. Not just in conversation and company but close in person. Our God is so big and so powerful He created everything around us.  The galaxies, the stars, the moon, the sun—He is the one who sends the rain. There are millions of people, yet our Father in heaven is close to us, He knows me personally and is near to me. He abides in those who believe and you can’t get any closer than that!”

“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist… (Acts 17:24-28 NLT)

So, there I was out in the pouring rain and I couldn’t be any happier. I labored in the rain and my heart was filled with joy. It felt good to push myself, I was out of breath and drenched in sweat.  The funny thing about the rain is nobody is around. It was quiet and nature was all around me.  It was alone time with God. The rain poured down and I looked up to heaven as the water washed down my face, and I told God how happy I was. How having Him close is all I ever wanted. I heard the thunder in the distance and I was reminded of God’s power. I saw how the rain provided for the earth, the clouds were moving alive with activity and I was toiling in the dirt trying to repair what was broken. It was good times.

My friends remember that God is close. God is as close as you allow Him to be, so go ahead and get drenched in the rain just to spend time with Him.  Do something out of character that has your wife look at you like your crazy and say, “What are you doing out there?” Because it doesn’t matter when you get to spend time alone with the One who sends the rain!

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. (John 14:23 NLT)

Come back to Jesus my friends.

See Rhett Walker Band’s “Gonna be Alright” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYANZ0LgTqw