Yesterday afternoon, as I was talking with Hudson about all the rainy weather we’ve been experiencing, I remembered a little jingle we used to sing as kids, “rain, rain, go away, come again another day…” Hudson enthusiastically bobbed up and down and ran around the house shouting at 110 decibels, “it’s rain’in… Ooo…rain’in!!!” Lately, he’s been turning everything into a song or jumbled rhapsody of joy. Stephanie and I don’t mind at all, that is, unless he scrapes up to the far reaches of 120-130 piercing decibels. Oh yes, he can pull this feat off at any given moment without warning. Yet, we love our little buddy just the same.
The Ruckus about Rain
All this ruckus about rain around our house got me thinking. So often we complain about the rain – especially when three or four days go by without any warm sunshine. Such was becoming the case around the Breznau home. Yet, then I remembered a time not too long ago when rain was a very welcome relief.
This past Saturday we joined some friends for a Tiger’s baseball game against the White Sox. My grandpa, dad, Hudson, and I all clamored up to the bleachers to enjoy the big game. Things were going pretty well until the bottom of the sixth inning, when we noticed some very, very dark clouds roll into view. By the top of the seventh inning, lightening bolts flashed across the Detroit River and the wind began to pick up. So, reluctantly, we began to make our way down from the third deck to the ground-level mezzanine. However, by the time we reached the bottom of the stairs the wind had become so strong that all the dirt, soot, and filth from the streets began to blast everyone right in the face. My grandpa and I (literally) had to hold our hands over our faces to keep the dirt from searing and stinging our eyes.
Unexpected Relief
In the confusion we became separated from Hudson and my dad, who wisely stayed in shelter until the winds let down. The blowing dirt was blinding. Children were crying – I saw one even crash to the pavement. People in wheel chairs crumpled up into the nooks and crannies of the street scape. The scene was awful and unsettling. As we moved with the crowds toward the parking garage, most people were muttering about gaining shelter before the rain hit. But, just then the skies poured down in own swoop. Yet it was not what I expected.
Yes, my Grandpa and I were soaked to the bones. And yes, we were quite cold from the drenching. However, suddenly we could again open our eyes. The dirt, filth, and soot, quietly streamed away into the drains. The streets glistened as the rain power-washed every corner, curb, and car. Detroit was suddenly clean. The blinding dirt that had collected over weeks of drought had vanished from sight. Within seconds, the power of a tremendous rainstorm had done what no street sweeper or prison clean-up crew could do. Everything was washed anew.
The Coming Rain in the Future Reign
Perhaps this is similar to the picture in God’s mind when He spoke these words through Isaiah :
“Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it.” (Isaiah 45:8)
As the Lord of Creation and Sovereign over the earth, the Son of God will return to establish His physical reign on the earth, namely, the millennial kingdom. When Jesus our Savior returns, righteousness and salvation will finally reign. Everything will be washed anew. This remaking of the earth will effect every corner, curb, and person. Nothing will be left the same. All things will be remade. There will be no more filth or sin in God’s ultimate plan. The will of God and His desire for justice and mercy will be finally and completely followed. This will be a shower of rain like no other and the relief of hope for all of God’s people.
As we look forward to the day when the righteousness and salvation of God will be fully poured out on this earth, let’s be real about living out the righteousness and salvation of God in our daily lives. Does His righteousness affect every part of your being? Does His salvation impact what you do or how you respond to others? Do our lives give people a foretaste of the future kingdom? Let’s purpose today to let the righteousness of Christ be seen in our lives by living out His will revealed in His Word. Then just maybe, the lost, scared, and hurting will be drawn to the hope they see in you and me. And, they too will look for the coming rain.
In Christ Alone,
Michael Breznau
[This article was originally published on September 8, 2011. In a very sad turn of events, my Grandpa Czarnecki (mentioned above) passed from this life in January, 2012.]
