Tuesday, September 2, 2014

When the rain won't come


It has been pretty hot here lately.  It always seems to be that way the end of the summer when school starts.  I have been lamenting the lack of rain lately here where we live, especially in light of our most recent water bill.  Ken and I were out on the back porch the other day eagerly anticipating a good soaking rain as we watched the storm clouds go to the north and south of us with not a single drop on our lawn.  What a downer.

Today I reflected a bit on the lack of rain we have had as I surveyed the dying lawn crunching under my bare feet.  I remembered the drought that Elijah lived in for 3 years.  He lived in a land that was suffering from the drought (a drought brought on by Israel's disobedience) and depended on God for his food and water.  God sent ravens to give him his food and a small brook for water.  When the water there dried up, God sent him to a widow for his food.  So even though there was a drought, God supplied Elijah with exactly what he needed, from unlikely sources even; ravens, and a poor widow that had a son to care for in the midst of the worst drought they had ever seen.

The photo above is of an area in Honduras facing one of the worst droughts they have seen in over 20 years.  Needless to say, my lawn is nothing compared to what these poor people are facing.  My heart breaks for them as next year there is expected to be a great deal of starvation due to decreased food stores there. In fact a recent article in Yahoo news stated, "Extremely poor households across large areas of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador will experience a rapid deterioration in their food security in early 2015. High levels of humanitarian assistance, possibly the highest since Hurricane Mitch in 1998, will likely be required in order to avoid a food crisis,” said a recent report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), run by the US Agency for International Development (USAID)."  

I know some people who would tell us that we should not go to Honduras if they are preparing to face a famine due to the drought.  They are concerned about the physical needs of our family being met.  I understand that concern, but I also think of Elijah.  Did God not meet his needs when Elijah followed the Lord in obedience?  Didn't God provide for him and even for the widow and her son? What if Elijah had not trusted god?  What if he had refused to follow God's instruction, especially when the widow made it clear she only had enough food for herself and her son to eat one last meal before they both died?

So many times we only look at our current circumstances instead of looking at the bigger picture.  It is hard right now for Honduran farmers to look outside of their own needs for themselves and their families.  They see the lack of rain and know that they will not have crops to store and feed their families.  But I see an opportunity for God to get the glory.  I see that there are feeding programs like the one our mission has to feed the poor in Honduras.  People from BMDMI are sharing the love of Jesus with people who have never heard the gospel now because they need food and water for their families.  These people will have not just bread to eat, but now they will have access to the Bread of Life.  They will not just have water to drink, they will drink from Living Water that never runs dry.  I love what Jesus said to the woman at the wellEveryone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 40:13-14.

So what do we do when the rain won't come?  We pray.  We trust.  We look for God to move and to meet the needs of His people.  We give glory and honor to the One who created the rain and the heavens, and we wait for the life giving water that He provides to quench our thirst.



If you are interested in joining us in sharing The Living Water with the people of Honduras, we would love for you to partner with us.  Click the link below to become a partner with us as we share the Bread of Life.

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