“He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth.”—Psalm 72:6.
This morning was a reminder of the unrivaled peace that comes with walking in an early morning spring rain through a sleepy town that is typically teeming with activity.
Spring rains are special because, unlike any other time of year, they leap with new life after a long winter. And even downtown in the early morning, instead of the sound of traffic and construction and people’s voices, there is only the sound of rain on puddles and early-riser songbirds, the aroma of fresh earth (and a hint of coffee being brewed somewhere), and this mysterious but yet tangible sense that God is enjoying walking with you through all that He has made.
Just as many of the psalms talked of a king and his dominion, and his family tree reigning forever, so the early church often saw in scripture types and shadows of God and His Son walking with them through thick and thin. It was simply understood and seen for the learned and unlearned alike, especially since those first believers spent much of their day in the outdoors—on rainy Sundays and sunny Fridays, and every kind of weather in between. And as they read, and as they walked, they were reminded that they could see a glimpse of the King and His Son wherever they went…
They just had to remember to look.
Psalm 72, for example, likens God’s nature and character to the beauty of nature that’s all around us, pointing to never-failing characteristics like the faithfulness of the sun and moon, the refreshing of rain showers, and a presence that goes with us wherever we go, from sea to sea, from river to river, from desert to desert. There is much wisdom in those words, especially for us here in this beautiful corner of God’s world. As a sign in a local clothing store says, ”Better to be lost in the woods than in a maze of cubicles. Let's get outside.” Because when you get outdoors, even on a rainy spring Sunday morning, you get to “read” deep within your senses greater glimpses of the goodness of God that can’t be found in even the best book, podcast or song.
Take a walk and see for yourself. Look up, look all around. Feel the rain on your face. Breathe deeply the aromas of creation. Listen for songbirds, for the distant cry of a loon, and the rustling of branches in the wind. Remind yourself Who made all of this. And then in the peace, let your list of praise and gratitude begin and never end:
God, You are....Beautiful…Huge…Magnificent
Always active with every breeze
My rest and stillness seen in every starlit night
One who is supremely attentive to every detail, even of every hand-crafted lilac bud
Provider of all I need in every season
The true Promise of hope and resurrection seen in each spring
The One source of new and abundant life seen in each summer
Lover of each and every unique thing (and person) You have made, seen in the endless colors of fall
Present and good, 24/7, even through the silence of every long winter season
Beautiful Savior! Ruler of all nature! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and forevermore be Thine!
"Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Note it. Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead He set before your eyes the things that He has made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that? Why, heaven and earth shout to you: 'God made me!’”—St. Augustine
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For vitamins beyond Sunday, see the Day Starter morning devotionals on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/renewchurchhancock
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