Rain, Rain Go Away!

“Rain, Rain go away. Come again another day.” I used to sing this little verse when I was small, stuck inside gazing out the window like the two kids on the first page of the Cat in the Hat book. Yet sometimes, I find myself singing it even now...not about the “wet stuff,” but about the “hard stuff.”

I don't know why I don't expect trouble in my life. You would think that I would know that it was just part of living. Scripture tells me so. Believers in the Early Church experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground (Hebrews 11:36-38).

And we're not exempt either. James 1:2 says, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds...

So it's not a question of “if” we will experience difficulties as Believers. It's just a matter of “when.”

How do we cope with this? How can we stand strong during these times and not falter in our faith?

The answer is pretty straightforward: We must KNOW Him. We must know the mind of Christ, and in order to know the mind of Christ – what He desires from us and for us – we must know His Word.

A great place to start is Matthew, chapters 5-7 (the Sermon on the Mount). This section of Scripture explains kingdom-life for the Believer. It tells us how to respond to God, to each other, to our enemies. It covers just about every attitude and situation that will arise.

As a matter of fact, before you go any further, it would be great for you (and me) to read all three chapters right now. Okay, go ahead. Get your Bible and read. I'll see you back in a minute.

So are you done? Boy, that was fast!

Did you see the last few verses of chapter 7? Those verses contain the answer to our questions and concerns. They give us hope that even though we WILL face trials and troubles, problems and persecutions, rain and even ice, we still have the ability to stand strong in our faith.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash (Matthew 7:24-27).

The rains will come. The streams will rise. The winds will blow and beat against you. Yet, if you have heard the words of Christ and put those things into practice, your faith will remain strong. You won't falter. You won't fall. You will stand and stand strong.

On the other hand, if you hear His Words and don't choose to put them into practice, then when the rains come and the streams rise and the wind beats against your life, then sadly, you won't stand strong. Your foundation will give way, and “great” will be your crash.

Study the Word. Put His sayings and teachings into practice. Search for Him desperately in the pages of your Bible. Then smile at the storms when they come. Stand confidently in the midst of rain, and look forward with hope to what comes after the wind.

I praise You, Jesus. I praise You that You didn't just leave me here on this earth without any help...without any instructions on how to live. Instead, You have provided me with everything I need to glorify You in my life through my struggles. Thank You, Father.