I awakened during the night to the sound of rain, hard rain, washing-the-earth clean rain. I didn’t know the time. It was just dark and wet on the other side of that thin plate of glass. On my side it was warm and safe from the elements. I knew our resident chipmunks were in their burrows below the slate on the patio. The squirrels were snug in their tree top nests, but what of the birds? Some of our resident feathered friends have already raised families this year and have started on a second batch. As the wind pushed their homes back and forth I knew the parents had tightly packed their featherless babes securely under their wings.
Could I not but think of Jesus speaking of Jerusalem? In Matthew 23 He wept as He spoke of His wanting to protect His people like a hen protects her young but they would not have it. It would be so easy to smugly sit back thinking His lesson was only for Israel. But that would fail to note that the lessons of scripture are for each generation. How often has God wanted to bless and shower us with good things but we would not have it because we insist on thinking we are above His laws. We think we are modern and His warnings are for times past. We are sophisticated. Every generation has thought that of themselves. We cannot flaunt His word and then expect Him to bail us out when the fruit of our stupidity matures. It is true that He will forgive us. He always forgives. Yet He still allows us to harvest our crop.
It was a hard rain that put me back to sleep as I determined to pay more attention to the One who wants to protect us.
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 15, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org