Beckon the Rain

It’s a rainy day today in Southern California. We have really needed precipitation the last several years, so I was thanking God this morning for the rain and it reminded me of this song, “Beckon the Rain.”

I wrote the song many years ago when I was going through a tough time. We were brand new in the full-time ministry, and didn’t really know what we were doing. We had stepped in to lead a group of about 250 that had been through some challenges even prior to us shepherding it, and now after  about six months people were struggling and falling away from our ministry; there were challenges and tests. I remember my oldest son was a really little kid at the time, and I took him to the pet store to by a new fish for our aquarium, looking for encouragement, hoping to meet someone at the store who might be open to coming to church or studying the Bible. The fish we purchased had some kind of disease and so shortly after, all the fish in our aquarium (there were lots) began slowly dying. Every day there would be a new fish floating belly-up on the top of the water and it kind-of became this metaphor for the ministry we were in!  Every day a new challenge, a new person going through a crisis. I was so overwhelmed.

I kept calling on God, kept praying for the people in our ministry, and this one rainy day in December it felt like I had a real breakthrough.  It was one of those moments where you just feel like God is your answer, that all you need to do is trust in his sovereignty.  I remembered the fact that hardship is where we really grow, and in repentance and struggle and surrender and stillness we find peace in him.  I love this quote,

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it…”
— God, Isaiah 30:15

I realized I wanted everything to be easy, I wanted success without sacrifice.  I wanted all sunny days.  But God gives us rainy days too.  And rainy days are really important.  And so I wrote this song.

[The words are still good for my soul.  The recording is from a long time ago.  I’ve got better equipment and technique for home recording now, so it’s easy for me to hear all the faults in the recording, but hey, faults are kind of what the song is about, right?]

Thanks for letting me share the song with you.

Beckon The Rain – recording from my CD, “Rocks and Trees”

 

BECKON THE RAIN

Rain can be a sad kind of thing.
It’s dark and cold, slippery.
But when it’s gone, the world is bright.
It’s crisp and clean, reflecting light.

As the rain comes down, I remember how
it’s been so long since I heard the sound
of raindrops falling all around.
They cleanse my world again.
Beckon the rain.

Send the rain.
I welcome the fall of raindrops and troubles,
when I’m weak and I’m small.
Cause when I’m alone, and when it’s all wrong
is when you come through.
That’s when you come along.

As the rain hits my head,
it’s out of my hands.
I surrender to you all that the rain demands.

As the rain comes down, I remember why
these raindrops fall into my eyes.
When I’m weak I’m strong, because you and I
are walking hand in hand.
Beckon the rain.

And after the rain, out comes the sun!
And the world is all new.
Through you have won.
And the next time it rains I’ll try to remember
the way that you saved me this day of December.

As the rain comes down, I remember what
it is to be so lost and found.
As these raindrops are falling all around,
They cleanse my world again.
Beckon the rain.
Beckon the rain.

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