The Purpose of Rain

“He sends rain on the just and on the unjust.“  Matthew 5:45 

Why does it rain on the unjust?  Understand that God is not rewarding the unjust with his rain, nor is he trying to frustrate the just by raining on the unjust.  The fact is that God is replenishing his earth with water. When he put the ecosystem into motion, he designed evaporation, condensation, wind currents and the entire weather pattern so that the earth would be fertile and life-sustaining.  When the rain falls on an unjust man’s field, it has nothing to do with the man. He just happens to be there. God sends his rain without regard to anything or anyone else. 

But, this passage of scripture is about more than just rain. It is a testimony to God’s impartiality. If God based his decisions on man’s ideas, there would never be any mercy, or grace, or any offer of repentance.  God does not strike people dead if they make one wrong move. He has the power to do so, as in the case of Ananias and Saphira, but God allows people to live out their lives and make their choices.  Herein lies the answer. Man will not be able to say to God: “You didn’t give me a chance. I would have served you if you had treated me differently. If you had blessed me, I would not have cursed you. If you had healed me, I would have loved you. If you had worked out my problems, I would have served you. It’s all your fault, God.”  Whatever circumstance a man blames for not serving God, judgment day will hold a surprise for him. 

God has someone who has gone through the exact problem—the same circumstances, the same disease, the same injury, the same abuse, the same pay scale, the same temptations, the same everything—and yet they served God! God has a Daniel who was thrown into a lion’s den.  He has a Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were cast into a fiery furnace. He has a Job who lost everything, and yet refused to curse his God.  What you do in life will never be God’s fault. He rains on the just and the unjust. His sun shines on the evil and on the good. Even an evil person can see a beautiful sunset, or drink in the beauty of a Grand Canyon, or enjoy the taste of a watermelon, or breathe in a full breath of God’s air. How does the rain fall? That will never be the question. Your response to the rain … that’s God’s purpose. Your concern will never be who is getting blessed and who isn’t. You are not God’s scorekeeper. He keeps his own score. 

Sometimes, the rain that falls into our lives represents a huge, undeserved blessing.  Solomon had the world handed to him on the proverbial silver platter. You would think that rainfall of blessing into Solomon’s life would have sealed his relationship with God forever, but instead, Solomon left a legacy of apostasy, indulgence and wastefulness. His many wives practiced their idolatry in the land God had given to Israel for their inheritance. His kingdom fractured in the following generation.  Sometimes, however, the rain that falls into our lives is an unwanted downpour.  In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus tells the story of two men, each of whom built a house, one on the rock and the other on the sand.  The same storm unleashed its fury on each house.  The house on the rock stood fast, but the other collapsed.  Why?  Same storm, different foundations.  It’s never the rain. It’s always how you respond to the rain.

How does the rain fall in your life? God’s rain in your life does not signal approval or punishment. It’s only evidence of His mercy and grace. His mercy and grace are exactly what you need today.  Don’t’ blame the rain.  It is time to let go of the questions that frustrate you and embrace the God who loves you.  Life may not be fair, but God is good!