The Sun Shower

Going for your walk? My husband asked as he left for work.
I am, I said knowing I would walk after he pulled out of the driveway.
I got myself together, gathered some mail that needed to be put in our mailbox and left.
It was a lovely morning, cool before the humidity set in and sunny enough for sunglasses.

I set out to walk the hill first.
When I got to the top of the hill, there was a lawn service truck.
I see this man faithfully cutting neighbor’s lawns each week.
We both smiled and said, Hi, to each other.

All of a sudden, in the middle of this lovely morning, it began to rain.
At first, I thought I was mistaken since the sun was out.
I used hand motions imitating raindrops since his mower was running.
He smiled, looked at the sky and shrugged his shoulders.

As a little girl, I called this a sun shower.
It was my favorite kind of rain shower.
The kind of shower where the sun illuminated the falling rain as it fell.
The kind of shower where the sun would make each raindrop glisten.

I would look out the window with my chin resting on my hand.
I would watch the raindrops fall.
I would see the rainbow of colors as the sun shone just right.
It was that kind of morning.

Except, I wasn’t inside at my window.
I was outside about half a mile away from home.
I saw the raindrops make patterns on my shirt.
The raindrops left wet splatters on my sunglasses.

I turned and headed for home.
As I walked I began to sing a song in my head.
It was a Michael W. Smith song with a refrain that is sung over and over.
Let it rain, repeated in my head.

Let it rain, let it rain.
Open the floodgates of heaven…

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad
Let the distance shores rejoice
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne
A fire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side
His lightning lights up the world
The earth sees and trembles
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord
Before the Lord of all the earth
The heavens proclaim His righteousness
And all peoples will see His glory

We want to see Your glory, God!
Do you want to see His glory?
Lift your voices, lift your hands!

Let it rain, let it rain.
Open the floodgates of heaven…

I got wet as I walked home.
Not exactly the kind of walk I anticipated.
But it was exactly the kind of walk I needed.
I thought of how much I wanted God’s Rain to fall.

I began to pray.

Let Your rain fall on your people, Father.
Wash away the dirt and grime of the world.
Rain down and cleanse us, O God.
Wash us clean with Your falling rain.

Rain on the hearts that hate You.
Rain on the hearts that want You removed from everything.
Rain on the people that want to mar Your image in us, Your image-bearers.
Rain on the children, protect their eyes and ears from things they should not see or hear.

Rain down and refresh us, Father.
How we need to be refreshed.
We have grown used to the evil that is around us; we fail to see it anymore.
We need a Son-shower and Your rainbow promise to help us see.

Oh, Your rain that falls is so beautiful.
Every drop of Living Water glistens.
Every drop of Living Water reflects Your glory.
Let the Rain fall afresh on our hearts; cleanse us and make us more like You.

As I reached my driveway, I looked down at my clothes.
They were not drenched but wet enough to show that I walked through the rain.
I entered my garage and was so grateful.
It walked through a shower that seemed to clear the air.

Showers tend to do that.
They clear the air.
How desperately we need the air to clear.
How desperately we need a shower of Living Water to fall.

I want to hear the gutters filled with God’s Rain.
I want the streams to overflow with God’s Rain falling down.
I want the sound of God’s Rain to be deafening on my roof.
I want the world to be refreshed with God’s Rain that is alive.

I want revival.
I want the floodgates to open and God’s Rain to pour down.
I want to look out and see the Son through the Rain.
I want His Living Water to fill me over and over.

Let it rain.
Open the floodgates of heaven.
Let it rain.
Let it rain.

You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord have created it.
(Isaiah 45:8)

Let it rain.
Rain down righteousness over a world that so desperately needs it.
Rain down mercy on a world that is too arrogant to notice.
Rain down grace on a people who do not deserve Your grace but ask anyway.

Let it Rain.
Let the Son shower cause us to pause with our chin resting in our hand.
Looking up, always up, we are looking for the Rain.
Let it Rain; open the floodgates of Heaven on Your people, Lord.

A torrent of Rain.
A deluge of Rain.
A tsunami of Rain.
Wash us and make us more like You.

Amen.