When The Rain Comes

February 10, 2017

Day 41: Sing To The Lord Your Song:
"There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God! —Psalm 43:4

I love the fact that Anderson recognizes that music has the power to heal us.  He notes that "[s]ince the beginning of time, music has been a part of God's creation" and that "in the original Hebrew language of the Bible, it says that God sang us into existence." I would love to know what that song sounded like.

So many times in my life I have turned to music as a way of coping with life events.  I imagine we all have.  Sometimes I do it without even meaning to; it just happens.  One such instance was the day after my mother's funeral.  I had an interview at Gilbert High School and was driving from Kingman to the Phoenix valley, obviously with an extremely heavy heart.  I had just purchased a new cd by Third Day called Come Together and had it playing in the hopes of uplifting my spirit.  As I drove, I tried to think of my interview and what types of questions I may be asked and what my responses would be, but my mind wandered through memories of my mother and the last few days before she passed. I cried through several songs and asked God, "Why? Why did my mother have to die?" The next song that played was, in a way, God's answer and his comfort.

As Third Day sang "When the Rain Comes," I felt as if God was talking directly to me.  It's not that he gave a specific reason as to why my mother passed. He was simply pointing out a fact of this life: there will be hard times, the rains will come and there will be tears, but He will always help us through each sad and maddening event that we experience.  He will be our guide and our refuge through every storm. He may not stop the rain, but He will hold us until it goes away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC6hmKXclP0

If you'd like to hear the song, please click on the link in the caption below the photo.

Even though I was moved deeply at the time I first heard this song, it is easy to forget comforting words when you are experiencing such a loss.  Slowly I drifted away and began to feel as if God didn't really care.  He was going to do what He was going to do regardless of how I felt or how I prayed. If you've been reading my blog, then you know this already. When I think of how God has endured my attitudes, my willfulness, my doubt, I am amazed at His patience and His willingness to love me despite my actions.  That is a blessing in itself.  Wouldn't it be great if we could forever hold such moments of clarity? I'd like to think that the way I feel right now will last. However, I know full well that I will still have doubts that will lead me to question God. I will still have attitudes that need to be checked and most likely my willfulness will win at points in my life. I know this just as assuredly as I know that the rain will come.

Luckily, we have a God who sees clearly through the rain and knows our hearts.