Bring on the Rain

Tonight was our Ladies' Prayer Group. Of course, I have a million things I need to do instead. And it was tempting to skip. But the more I thought about, the more I realized Satan was trying to convince me to skip - all the more reason why I needed to go.
So Carissa and I head out in the rain to meet with others to pray.
On my way there, I couldn't help but notice how frustrating it is to drive in the rain.

• You have people who don't practice extra precaution, and make foolish mistakes.
• Your tires may lose traction.
• Your vision may be obstructed.
• Traffic moves at a slower pace.
• It always seems to change intensity, causing you to adjust your wipers.
• You have to be careful to not hit the breaks too hard.

The list could go on. Overall, you have to be cautious and smart about driving in the rain - however unpleasant it may be.
We have to be smart, we have to be cautious, but we ultimately have to keep going. We cannot slam on the breaks or stop in the road. We have to move with the flow of things, but we have to make wise decisions along the way. Yes, there are times where the rain may become so intense that you cannot see beyond the blankets of rain on your windshield. Those are times when we have to take a break until we can see where we are going again. But it is important for us to pull off to a safe place before stopping.

As I drove, it occurred to me how on our Christian walk we all drive through the rain at times.
Without a doubt, we will endure hard times along the way. Just like the rain, we cannot control the circumstances. We have to trust God to get us through the hard times.
Yes, during these rough patches, we may briefly "lose traction" or veer off to the side, or even come close to hitting someone else. We have to make smart decisions through these hard times. The most important thing we have to remember, though, is that with God's help we will get through the rough patch. Stopping along our walk will not help the matter. Yes, we can wait and the storm may blow over - but we haven't gotten anywhere. We are still in our starting place. We cannot become complacent in our walk with God ... we must be moving forward - even if that means we have to walk in the rain.

So while I was thinking about all of this - while, of course, being a cautious driver in the rain :) - I suddenly became aware of the song that was on the radio. The song was "Call on Jesus" by Nicole C. Mullen. It seemed so appropriate that I was sitting here thinking about the hard times we will go through, and how God will be there to help us through, and here comes a song that declares that all things are possible when we call on Jesus.

Verse 2:
Weary brother, broken daughter,
Widowed, Widowed lover you're not alone
If you're tired and scared of the madness around you
If you can't find the strength to carry on

Chorus:
When you call on Jesus,
All things are possible
You can mount on wings like eagles' and soar
When you call on Jesus,
Mountains are gonna fall
'Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue you when you--

Bridge:
Call Him in the mornin', in the afternoon time
Late in the evenin' He'll be there
When your heart is broken,
And you feel discouraged,
You can just remember that He said
He'll be there

It was very refreshing to be reminded that we must Call on Jesus ..... and here I was ...... on my way to a prayer meeting. I was on my way to Call on Jesus with other sisters in Christ! And I had been tempted not to go!

And then .....

After I leave the uplifted prayer meeting, I am driving home and begin to think about all of this again, and how I should blog about it. I have the radio on, but only half listening. I hear them announce a song by MercyMe. I had not heard this song before, but the first couple lines stuck out to me so I keyed in to the rest of the song and wow! how fitting it was!! The song is called "Bring the Rain." The gist of this song is that people questioned why the writer praised God through all he had been through. His response was ... why not? Essentially, it is during these times of "rain" that he felt closest to God. He realized that God was the one to keep him safe through the rain. And if it meant, being able to bring glory to God ... then bring on the rain!
WHOA! That is the story of my life! So many people are surprised when they learn of my not-so-wonderful childhood and family situation etc that I am the Christian that I am today. But instead of pulling me away from God, my circumstances pushed me into God's loving embrace! Those were the times I felt closest to God!
And to feel that close to God is so worth going through any kind of rainy day/week/month/year.

"Bring The Rain"

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty