The Difference Between Watering and Rain

All summer, I’ve attempted to keep our front and back lawns green.  We have a sprinkler system, but there are still dry areas that look less than healthy.  Rick or I hosed those areas diligently, then groaned over the rising water bill.  There’s a lot to be said for other kinds of ground cover, unless your HOA says no way.

Our first rain came a few days ago.  A heavy mist, really, or more accurately, a light sprinkle – and within another day, the lawns turned an almost neon green.  It was like God lit an inner light in the grass just so I’d get the message again: there’s a big difference between me watering and God sending rain.

In how many other ways do I water instead of wait for rain?

Am I trying to force the Lord to speed up His plan?

Do I jump into a project before I’m certain God is directing it?

Am I too quick to say yes to work that may be meant for someone else?

When my stress level rises, is it a sign I’ve been “watering” too much in the hope of bringing forcing the results I want?  Putting too many things on my calendar, all good things, but not necessarily the ones God wants written in?

Sometimes things go dormant. Life has seasons, too.  Still, quiet times don’t mean nothing is happening.  God is always at work; spring, summer, fall and winter.

It’s not by accident the Lord gave me Psalm 27:14 for my verse this year.  “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”

Waiting isn’t always restful or easy.

The hoses are coiled, the sprinklers turned off.  I sit at the kitchen nook table, chin in my hands and watch the rain.

It’s okay to water, but it’s the Living Water who brings real life.