Waiting for the Rain to Cease

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.  And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.  -Genesis 7:11, 12 (KJV) 

I went to bed last night with the sound of the rain falling and when I woke this morning I was greeted with the same sound.  You may be like me in that you don’t mind a little rain; it’s the sunshine you miss.  As we get closer to the bright, warm, and wonderful days of spring we have to persevere a little longer and move forward through these gloomy and rainy days.  Noah could have related to our situation as he waited for the rain to stop falling and for the sun to begin shining.  Even after the rain ceased he and his family had a long and arduous task of waiting for the waters to recede.  They may have wondered if they would ever make it to the brighter day the Lord had promised. 

Like the rain which seems to never stop, we sometimes view our struggles in a similar manner.  We too wonder if we will ever get to a brighter day of God’s blessing and power in our lives.  How do we climb up and out of these dark days?  How do we persevere and move forward through the trials which seem to always be confronting us?  Will it ever end and will we ever feel better?  Our answer comes when we wait on the Lord and trust Him no matter what.  Even though the days are overcast we still have the promise of God’s presence.  He has not abandoned us nor will He do so during the difficulties of life, whether they are rainy days or personal struggles.  Ours is to trust the Lord and move patiently forward in His grace and power. 

No doubt the 40 days of rain and the period of waiting for the waters to draw back was a time of testing for Noah and his family.  Their only course was to trust the Lord and wait upon Him.  The Lord understands our weariness and sorrow and will send His blessings to us even during the dark days of life and the waiting we must go through.  Like Noah and his family, we will one day soon walk forward in the brighter days of Christ’s presence.  Trust the Lord and wait on Him and you will not grow weaker during your struggles; instead, you will be made stronger. 

40 days is a long time.  However the Lord will bring you through and will make you stronger.  Wait on Him and do not give up.