and observe them faithfully,
4 I will send you rains in their seasons,
and the ground shall yield its crops,
and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
11 I will place my dwelling in your midst
12 I will be your God and your shall be my people
13 I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt…
Leviticus 26
• Five Minute Friday :: Respite Linkup
Respite from the storm. From that noise. From whatever bothers you, any overwhelm, including the (actually satisfying) tiredness Kate wrote about. My header photo illustrates rain on a window.
Here in the desert – albeit a coastal one – waking up to rain on the window often means relief because now we have at least brief respite from ongoing drought. Rain on the window and slick roads (remember to Turn Around – Don't Drown when you're out there) signal respite and restored life for crops, for the Los Angeles River with its wildlife, aquatic animals and organisms, with its verdant, recently restored banks.
Weather peeps measure rainfall from October through September, and by grace we've recently had enough water from the sky. But with even the River that carved the Canyon in crisis, we need to continue practicing the careful stewardship God calls us to. God promises rain, yet God's promises usually carry the condition of human obedience.
It feels as if most scripture passages about rain are about water as gift because after all, water is life! However, too much water in the wrong place can flood can destroy. Hurricanes can wreck crops, economies, hopes, and futures. Earlier in the oughts I blogged several times about Katrina. Yet scripture mostly does speak about rain as respite, a refreshment from parched earth, a life-restoring gift. I started by mentioning respite "from any overwhelm" and isn't historical drought overwhelming all creation?
The opening Leviticus passage promises rain that's essential for the land to yield, for trees to bud, blossom, and fruit. God sends rain to give us respite from hunger.
I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. The God of liberation is a fertility God!
Thank you for this. Here in SW England, we know all about rain but have the opposite problems: land slips this week (we live on a steep coast), drainage systems that overflow because they can't cope with heavy downpours and high tides so our town regularly floods, sewage discharged into the sea. And yet we had a hosepipe ban for much of last year because our reservoir levels were so low.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the need to practice careful stewardship of this beautiful world God has made.
Your FMF Neighbour #13
oh, rain can be such a respite can't it? FMF11
ReplyDelete