A Good Rain

Here in Northwest Oregon, we get a lot of rain. Unless we are caught in a downpour—or our house has a leaky roof, rain is of little consequence to most Oregonians. But it’s of great consequence in Scripture.

Rain is used to denote favor or a fulfilling of God’s promises; it is used as a sign of life (“He gives rain on the earth and sends water on the fields,…” - Job 5:10); it shows God’s power (“When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, and brings out the wind from His storehouses.” – Jeremiah 10:13); it comes as a warning to God’s people (...”I will call to the LORD, that He may send thunder and rain Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great…” – I Samuel 12:17); rain can be a form of judgment (i.e., the torrential rain in Ezekiel 38); rain can be a metaphor for the word of God ("Let my teaching drop as the rain,…” – Deuteronomy 32:2a); it can also be used as an element representing trials (as in the story of the wise man who built his house on the rock in Matthew 7).  These and many other examples fill the Bible’s pages.

Clearly, rain is important, but why so many different functions for it? And why did God choose to use it so often? In order to attempt to answer these questions, we must look at a familiar yet profound passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:44-45, NLT).

Jesus was presenting a brand new concept—loving one’s enemies. He was presenting a whole new way of life! This “new life” would be governed no longer by rules (such as “Love your neighbor”) but by the law of love. Who truly belonged to God would be evidenced by this love in action. They were even told to pray for those who mistreated them. “Rain on the just and the unjust” isn’t a particularly difficult concept; these were people who relied on such phenomena as sun and rain for their crops to grow—to be able to feed their animals, grow their vegetables, support their families. Jesus used something the Jewish people knew well—it was familiar…and part of their lifestyle. But He was wanting to give them a new lifestyle. He challenged them to see others—even those they called “enemies”--through the Father’s viewpoint.

Jesus took a vital element, rain, and applied it equally to those who were believers and those who were not—the just and the unjust—the “just” being therefore justified by faith in Him. I believe He was calling His listeners to a higher level of freedom—one in which they could look upon their enemies “just as if they’d never sinned” against them—or offended them in any way, whether perceived through their own judgments or a case of actual mistreatment.

Perhaps Jesus wanted those listening to apply different aspects of rain to their lives—and so He didn’t define exactly what type of rain He was referring to. When the rains didn’t come, neither did the crops, but a storm could also wipe out the crops. In many ways, the Jews were at the mercy of the rain—and I think Jesus wanted them to know that they were, likewise, at the mercy of God. No longer would it be acceptable for them to harbor unforgiveness or hatred against others. As they had been loved—and to just what extent they didn’t yet know--so also were they being called to love.

Certainly many of these people could think back to the story of Noah and to the Old Testament prophets—knowing that “rain” was not always a desirable occurrence. But…God had always been faithful to His people. So no matter what a particular rain entailed, the Lord could be trusted. Jesus was asking them to take their trust one step further and allow His cleansing rain to purify their hearts. He was about to satisfy all judgment for all who would believe—His “living water” would be the rain to end all rains—a better rain than any that had come before.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

When you next see the rain, think of the blessings God has brought into your life. When you hear the rain, think of the sound of God coming quickly to your rescue. When you smell the rain, receive it as the sweet fragrance of a life-giving God. When you feel the rain, open your heart to be saturated by His goodness and mercy—ask Him to fill you with a love that allows you to pray for your enemies. It’s only through His life that we can enter into such an amazing grace. And experience more and more of the freedom Christ set us free for. Truly live. Truly forgive. Dance in the rain, for it is good.