Praying for Rain

On Sunday morning we concluded our church service by getting into groups and praying for rain. How awesome to hear that rain arrive and settle in to give us about ¾ of an inch (in my backyard anyway)! For many people, the timing of the rain was just coincidence, but I have noticed that coincidences happen more often when I pray! It needs to be said, however, that many Christians have prayed many times for rain but have seen seasons wiped out by drought. “What’s with that?” you might ask. Is God random in how He answers prayer, or is He simply uninvolved and it just comes down to fate or chance?

God Cares

The first thing to emphasise about this is that God does in fact care about you and what you are going through in life. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your circumstances are, God cares about that, and is available to help. The thing is that He doesn’t always help in the way we want Him to. We often want a vending-machine type of God. You put the money (or the prayer) in and you get what you want. God isn’t like that. He has His own priorities and purposes. He cares for you, but is not controlled by you. God knows that very often it is the hard things in life which teach us the most important lessons, that make us mature as people and equips us to be able to help others. Leaning on God and learning from Him during tough times is one of the most difficult lessons in life, but one of the most important.

What Do We Really Want?

Many of us would love God to give us the winning Lotto ticket or some other way in to “the good life”. But when we really think about it, that’s not what we really want. We want good relationships. We want to feel a sense of pride and self-worth. We want to make a difference in the world. We want to enjoy life and take it easy, but that’s not all we want. At least not if we are wise.

Jesus claimed to come “that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10).

When Christians pray for rain or anything else that involves a material blessing, we are asking because God has told us to! We want God to provide for our us and bless our work. Even more than that we want God to bless others, especially to ease the stresses that people are under. In doing so we also recognise that God may have other plans. He might achieve greater good by withholding material blessings. Having life to the full is much more than just having our material needs met. It involves having a joy and peace even in the toughest of circumstances. It involves learning to care for the problems of others instead of being all wrapped up in your own. Most significantly of all, it involves having a personal relationship with God that transforms this life and prepares you for the next. We wouldn’t swap our relationship with God for any amount of money, rain or anything else.

So we are going to continue to pray for rain, and for sunshine, and for protection from frosts and pests and diseases; but most of all, we will pray for people to discover the “full life” that Jesus promised. Have you discovered the abundant life that Jesus offers?