| bring the rain |

{ God gives the lonely a home. He leads prisoners out with joy, but those who turn against God will live in a dry land. God, you led your people out when you marched through the desert. The ground shook and the sky poured down rain before God, the God of Mount Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. God, you sent much rain; you refreshed your tired land. –psalm68:6-9 }

all I can think of is dryness. how it stifles, how it stunts, how it sucks the life out of everything nearby. notice that those who turn against God will live in a dry land; a desolate land, a land devoid of all that’s living. look at ezekiel and his dry bones. the bones are always described as being dry. “And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.“ (v. 2) and “Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.” (v.4) when Ezekiel prophesies over them and tells life to enter them, one of the meanings of the hebrew word used is revive. he revives that which was formerly dried and shriveled up. that’s how they’re brought back to life. hold that thought.

now look at the verse from psalms. those who turn against God will live in a dry land, or literally a “parched land.” then it says ‘God, you sent much rain; you refreshed your tired land.’ take a deeper look at the hebrew and what it’s really saying is, God, you willingly and lavishly sent us an abundance (more than we need) of rain to revive us, to wash away our weariness, to bring us back to life. God periodically sent huge washes of rain, often used rain as a symbolic cleansing, a new beginning even. but for me, the mental image of God raining down to refresh and revive my battle-weary soul is so much more powerful. I need that, from time to time, a revival of sorts. I get to that place.. where I’m no more alive than those dry bones in that deserted valley. I need to be conscious enough of the condition of my heart so I can approach my Father’s throne boldly to ask for that rainfall. that thunderstorm.

oh how I need the rain. my bones are a looking far too dry..