It is 5 AM, and it is Palm Sunday. The only thing I hear is rain – a torrential downpour. This is the beginning of Holy Week. Earl is already in the shower, and I have to swing my feet off the bed and get down to the kitchen to get his breakfast cooking. It’s part of my ministry, and I’m happy to do it. I persevere to make sure that the work that the Lord has given me gets done. But it’s raining, and it feels like sleeping weather. My feet still hit the floor, and I get started.
I have to study a little more. I’m teaching the Sunday school lesson. I worked on it yesterday, but I’m not feeling confident with what I’ve got. Yet I must persevere, I can’t present what God does not intend. Clean up the kitchen, sit down and study. I look out my window to see lightning, and I hear the resulting thunder.
Shower, dress, but no, the dog will not go out in this rain. Can she cross her paws for the next 5 hours? I open the door, it’s raining so hard that there is a fog-like consistency in the air. The dog backs away. A thought runs through my head, will God’s people persevere and come to chuch today? It’s raining so hard.
I realize that I can’t go through the newly created pond at the bottom of my entry stairs in my shoes. I quickly change into my Duck shoes, throw the high heels in a bag and grab the umbrella. Will the umbrella actually open? Oh please Lord, let the umbrella open. It does. Thank you Lord!
As I drive through the streets, the meer couple of miles to the church, God begins to speak to me in my mind. I’ve learned to listen. Today it is not His quiet voice, but a strong voice that tells me to tell His people to persevere. Dear Lord, will your people come to hear? So here is what He told me in my thoughts.
Spring Blooms
I give you the rain. You receive the fresh aroma of Spring. I nourish the ground for all My nature to grow. My gifts to you include the beautiful gardens, flowers and trees – lawns so lush – vegetation so green. My water helps to provide all that for you. You have water to drink and shower and clean. My gifts to you. I give you My Word so the pastor can speak. He’s been provided with a sermon to nourish My people – to offer their worship – lift up their voices.
God is good. He gives many good gifts. Let us not use those gifts as excuses not to come and worship. I was pleased to see all those whose worship of God meant more to them than the possibility of enduring the rain and getting a little wet. His people do persevere.
Our pastor, our music department, our staff, our ushers, Sunday School teachers – as well as all those who prepare the coffee and refreshments – all worked really hard to be sure that the ministries that God entrusted to them were carried out. They persevered through the rain. And we were all blessed this rainy, stormy, Palm Sunday, 2013.
“Therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.” 1 Thessalonisan 1:4
Related articles
- Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday? (prhayz.com)
- Lenten Reflection Day 33 (makingroomforgod.wordpress.com)
- Beating Adversity (culversbm.wordpress.com)
- Happy Palm Sunday! (tidbitandmindbytes.wordpress.com)
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