Rain from Heaven, Not Water from the Hose

                The morning after an inch of rain fell, I zipped out to feed the cats. As the felines gobbled down their crunchy food, I inspected the tomato beds. The black repurposed tub with the zinnias planted in it caught my eye first. Following the blessing of the overnight rain, the zinnias’ brilliant colors rivaled any dazzling colors that could be mixed on an artist’s palette.

                They gleamed vividly in the early morning sun peeking over the eastern horizon. One of my last outdoor tasks as I end each day finds me giving the little zinnias “a drink” as my grandma, Gladys Rainey Smith, would say.

                But the morning following the much-needed rain, the zinnias appeared perkier, with their colors more vibrant and intense than the previous day. The primary variable lending to this spectacular display of “God-painted” hues was the precious precipitation received.

                As I walked slowly back to the house, stopping to pet a cat or two, I compared the two forms of moisture. Our water pumped from the well that had been dug several years before Dad's death. He assured me we would never run out of water on the farm. Usually, he would cite the depth of the new well. It meant so much to him since prior to that we had to monitor our water use, especially when watering the garden or flowers.

                Even though my daily watering kept the tomatoes growing and the zinnias blooming, the well water was incomparable to the rain that fell that predawn morning. I reflected how often we read what someone else has written about God’s Word or we hear someone quote a verse or teach on it. We encourage one another with actions like this, but Luke wrote in Acts, the history of the early church recorded in the Bible, about a group of believers from Berea who received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

                In the same vein of thought, Isaiah wrote God’s words to His people in chapter 55, verses 10-11:

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, 

And do not return there but water the earth, 

And make it bring forth and bud, 

That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; 

It shall not return to Me void, 

But it shall accomplish what I please, 

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

As I thought on Isaiah’s comparison of God’s Word to “the rain” that “comes down,” I realized how our personal study of God’s Word is much like the rain we received on the little container of zinnias. We can grow and be encouraged by Scripture shared by others in much the same way the nightly well water refreshes the flowers. Yet as precious rainfall causes the zinnias to thrive in beauty so does a daily time reading, studying, and meditating on God’s Word as His Spirit guide us. No other method of receiving God’s Word can replace or foster our spiritual growth so strongly.  Recently, a dear friend expressed it like this, “Nothing can replace me digging into the Bible and studying for myself.”

Lord, may we deepen our relationship with You as we meet with You seeking nourishment from Your Word. Open our eyes and our hearts to the life-giving truths from Your Scriptures. May these principles impart strength so we can obey and honor You, knowing with an assurance Your Word will accomplish Your plan for us.