Rain and Repentance

In Scripture, God uses ordinary events as metaphors; these pictures help us understand His truth.  After it rained today, I was reminded of one metaphor which compares rain to the Word of God:

 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

The popularity of this verse comes mostly from a mis-application that binds God to save every person who every heard a verse read, since the Word never returns void.  However, the word of God in the immediate context is God’s promise to forgive His peoples’ sins and make an everlasting covenant with them in the person of the Messiah who, as the greater David, brings in the blessings promised to Israel’s great king.  Based on this promise, Isaiah begs God’s disobedient people to stop wasting their money on things that don’t satisfy, and instead to call on Yahweh who would have mercy on them.  And as surely as rain brings crops, so certainly will God bring salvation to His people when they repent and turn to Him. 

The purpose of God’s Word that will never fail is to bring repentance and salvation to God’s people.  As I look out the window at the rain, it reminds me that God’s purpose will be completed and His people will be saved.  In spite men opposing God’s work, God’s people will still repent and experience His mercy.  So what about God’s people who have responded to the purpose of God’s Word?  Now our responsibility is to continue to align ourselves under the Word and to proclaim that Word so that it may continue to accomplish its purpose.

God Made Small Fish

Figaro, my male half-moon betta fish, has lived with me for the last six months.  Neither of these pictures are of him (he would not stay still), but he's virtually identical to both of these.  I am a rather bad fish owner - the whole point of getting a fish as opposed to some other pet was that he would be "low maintenance."  (Actually, there wasn't much option because fish are the only animals allowed in the dorm:)  This afternoon, I googled how I should take care of him and decided change his water more often.
 
Figaro does many interesting things.  As I write, he is playing in his bowl on my desk and has just folded himself in half in a U-shape upside down.  Sometimes, he buries his head in the glass beads at the bottom and stands upside down.  Sometimes, he twitches his fins convulsively and shoots across his bowl.  Often he's after a bit of food that has lodged at the bottom of the bowl.  When I put my finger on his bowl, he comes over and stairs at me, swishing his fins.  Sometimes, he puts his head straight down and dives.


Genesis 1:20-22 says, "And God said, 'Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life...'  And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly...And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas..."  When Figaro flits around his world busily fulfilling the tasks for which God created him, he reminds me of what a wonderful creator God is.  He made such an intricate little fish - a body that is so flexible he can fold himself in half, fins that are so filmy that you can see the tiniest ripple in them, scales that sheen iridescence turquoise or blue depending on the light.  

If you have ever wanted to know more about God's creativity, get a fish and spend time watching it.