Making Rain

Saturday we have a mother/daughter tea at our church with a theme of “Weathering the Storms of Motherhood”.  Yesterday my faithful friend, who follows me in all sorts of wacky endeavors to serve together in the kingdom, once again assisted me in another decorating adventure.  This time we endeavored to suspend umbrellas and teardrop-shaped glass pebbles with clear nylon thread from the ceiling tiles in our fellowship hall to give the appearance of rain falling upon umbrellas.

We were a comedy of errors in our attempts.  The threads tangled and it was impossible to see the thread to tie knots when we wrapped the thread around the t-pins.  We concluded that there were two things needed to master the skill of this decorating fiasco, one was good eyes and the other was great coordination and both of us had neither.  I said, “I have a whole new appreciation for God.  It’s so hard to mimic what He does so easily”.

I wondered if God put in eight-hour days when He did creation or maybe the “day” means that He put in twenty-four hours or at least twelve.  I would feel a whole lot less incompetent if I knew that it took Him at least twenty-four hours to suspend the stars in space since it took us both three hours to hang only thirty-two raindrops and five umbrellas.   I’m pretty sure He didn’t use nylon thread.

I wondered if God looked down at my friend and me and watched us something like me watching a Lucy show.  I wondered if he laughed out loud or just smiled and shook His head.

I thought of Job’s conversation with God as I drove home.  Job was questioning God concerning the tribulation that had come upon him and God gave Job a response.  I remembered some of the things that God had said because my husband wrote a song about it, but I looked it up when I got home in Job chapters 36-42.  You must go get your Bible and read these chapters to see God’s reminder of His greatness to Job.  You will have a surge of faith.

Elihu says to Job in 36:26-33

            How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.  He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams, the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.  Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how He thunders from his pavilion?  See how he scatters his lightning about him, this is the way He governs the nations and provides food in abundance.  He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark.

His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.

I have to go hang some more raindrops today.  I’m a little more skillful today and hope to hang them a bit faster.  I will also do it in a sense of awe of God’s greatness and how He draws me to Him and reminds me of who He is even as I do menial tasks to serve Him in His kingdom.  I am humbled.