Let The Rain Fall

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. Deuteronomy 32:2 (NIV)

Spring has sprung! The weather this week has wildly gone from glorious sunny dawn to stormy afternoons back to sunny sunsets--and I am here for it! One of the things I love most about living in the Pacific Northwest is that everything is so very green, always. However, it has always been so interesting to me that it comes at a cost: rain. And lots of it. Whenever I travel and say that I’m visiting from Seattle, I most often get asked about the rain and the gray Seattle skies.

I will admit when my family first moved here, I was not a fan. And in the deep of winter, I long for more sunshine and longer days. Nonetheless, this verse has me thinking about rain very differently. Since Easter and talking about Living Water and the Holy Spirit, I have not been able to stop thinking about water metaphors in our faith. But this is an interesting one: our Father’s teachings falling like rain and descending like dew on new grass and tender plants.

Rain is not always welcome, just as Jesus’s teachings and words are not always wanted in the moment. You do not have to look far to see many examples of this. But like rain, it washes away and it allows for growth. Which brings me to my other thought: it is interesting that the verse uses “new grass” and “tender plants”—new life. With Christ’s resurrection, we have been given new life, like a tender plant. His teachings shower us so we can grow, and as we have been discussing in church, flourish.

Another thought I had regarding this imagery, is that rain can fall suddenly and unexpectedly. This thought challenges me the most. I do not always know when God will meet me or speak to me, or the Spirit will guide me in what way. But like these plants thirsty for water as they grow, I just must be open and ready to drink up. The plants have roots that seek water sources; they are not just passively sitting there. And the more they drink, the bigger those roots grow.

April showers bring May flowers. This we have seen in our very green PNW, and in all our spring flowers here in Seattle. And just as the falling rain nurtures life, Jesus’ teachings and words will do the same. Let His rain fall and the dew settle in abundance!