Grace like Rain

that's the name of a song, and a CD...but I didn't know that on June 27.
I was on my porch, enjoying the early morning sun and song, praying through my notes on JOB that I had made 10 days earlier. Comparing verses in the CEV with verses in the more reliable NASV. When it started to rain. It is important to note that we are in the midst of a serious drought here in the southwest. I am living in a dry and barren land, plagued by dust storms, where the fire threat is extreme. But it was raining. A steady shower, the rain coming strait down, on my house, on my yard and believe it or not...no place else. Well, there was a little falling on the road in front of my house, and the house across the way, but none on the houses on either side of mine. None in the back yard. One grey cloud, raining on my yard, a steady refreshing rain. Of course I went out and stood in the shower. There was no one around to notice it. Just me and God. I could have walked around the shower, I could have walked out of it. I turned my face toward the one lone cloud and breathed deeply. It lasted about 10 minutes.
When I returned to my porch, a slight breeze blew the pages of my Bible to Revelation 1:11. The page went from 1:11 to 2:18, and I've been reading those for the past few days, extending to the whole of chapter two and finally to the the end of the letters to the seven churches.
One more thing. That night I drove into Farmington to attend a VBS meeting - I'm helping with the joint Episcopalian/Luthern Fiesta VBS next week. On the way home I was praying and wondering. There is this ministry possibility...a sort of Market Place Evangelism venue (see Gateway of the Rock) and I was praying about if it were really something the LORD wanted us to persue. The radio was on, just back ground noise really, but all of a sudden I heard the line
"Grace like rain fall on me..." I didn't know the song, or the group, but the line really struck home. Like, "hey Maryellen, don't forget this morning." So I figured, yep...this is something the LORD wants us to persue. A lot of spiritually significant stuff has happend since then. We had an incredible weekend. The report of it really belongs on the Ministry Site. And if you are brousing...RD has a new story we are posting Wednesday, July 5.
One more weather experience before I move on...
Like I said, we are in the midst of a drought. Saturday we were at a "Tent Meeting" about prayer, worship, and the prophetic. It was coming to a close, at sunset, when a dust storm blew in. There was thunder in the distance - The God of Glory thunders - but no rain. Just wind and dust. I stood facing the sun set, it was beautiful, but I could only catch glimpses of it because of the dust. I had to keep my eyes closed most of the time. I felt as if I was in the middle of a battle. The thunder and the wind were the LORD, the dust, swirling and fleeing was the enemy's. This Dine'Ta - Navajo Land, this place is at the same time a sacred and forsaken land.
The enemy is a liar. Our purpose is to glorify God and let His light shine through us into this dark and forsaken land. Truth will set the captives free. Truth will restore the sacred. Amen