Rain, Rain, Go Away

By Brenda W. McIntyre    

Do you remember the children’s rhyme ‘rain, rain, go away, come again another day?’ I’ll bet I uttered that rhyme under my breath at least a hundred times lately as the rain drenched the area where I live. Georgia experienced heavy downpours and flash flooding for several days straight. Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency in seventeen counties. Four of those counties were federally declared as disaster areas.

Although the more saturated areas were to the north and northeast of my home, Middle Georgia received an excessive amount of rain. The Ocmulgee River threatened to spill over its banks. Gray clouds covered the sky day after day, blocking the sun. I was surprised one afternoon to see a tiny portion of blue sky surrounded by angry gray thunder clouds. As the wind blew, the clouds swirled about. I was sure they would block out the small patch of blue the color of an inviting swimming pool. For as long as I watched, the patch of blue remained – a testament that the storm would eventually pass and the sun would shine again.

Just like the torrential rain that created flooding, washed out bridges, and caused several deaths in North Georgia, we all have storms in our lives. I know people who are facing eviction because they’ve been unable to pay rent. I recently met a young man who lost his family in a divorce, rarely sees his children, and has been placed on dialysis due to renal failure. He is also in need of a place to live. His situation is a prime example of the saying, “When it rains, it pours.”

Like that small patch of blue sky, we have a reminder that our storms will pass. God gave His promise to us in the book of Isaiah when he said, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).”

When you have stressors in your life, let God calm the storm. He is with you at all times, you only need to draw close to Him. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Suffering the storms of life is a product of a fallen world. God promises to be with us in the midst of our struggles. As the psalmist David said, “He has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help (Psalm 22:24).