Spring

It's finally spring.  Literally and and metaphorically.  I feel like I've ventured into a new season--one full of color and life.  But it's still very early in the season, and if you've ever lived in Oregon then you understand the trepidation you take the beginning of spring with.  It may be 70° and miraculously sunny outside right now, but it could be 40° and rainy tomorrow morning.  I'm hopefully optimistic that tomorrow will be sunny too, but I'm realistic at the same time.

Regardless, once the spring days start showing their face, all I pray for is more sunshine.  More warm days.  More opportunities to fix my serious "I live in Oregon" vitamin D deficiency.  I don't pray for rain.  I don't even pray for rain in the winter.

Perhaps that is why this verse stood out to me Sunday.  The title for this chapter in Zechariah is "The Lord Will Restore His People."  

Zechariah 10:1
"Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, for he makes the storm clouds.  And he will send showers of rain so every field becomes a lush pasture."

I thought this page by Ron Daniel describes it well. 

"Ask For Rain
He says, "Ask the Lord for rain." Why would someone pray for rain? Here in Wyoming, that's a silly question, isn't it? As a matter of fact, unless you've got a giant fresh water river running through town that never runs dry, we all need rain.

Rain is a need, not a want. A necessity of life, not a frivolous extra. Jesus taught us,
Matt. 6:8-11 "Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him.

Of course the instruction continues, but here we see that our example for asking in prayer is for our daily bread. Asking for rain is like asking for daily bread. It's not asking for riches and power. Not even asking for our weekly bread. But just enough for today, just what we need for life right now."

But I have a feeling that this "rain" is a little more specific.  Or maybe just for me.  I think this is specific instructions for us/me to ask for challenges.  To ask for life situations that I don't necessarily want, but that will stretch me into the person God has created me to be.  And not a "Lord, keep my life easy" kind of prayer, but a "Lord, challenge me this week so I can shine for you."

We're supposed to ask for these thing.  Not just wait for them to come to us.  Despite how counter-culture that seems to me, that's what I think it's saying.  Not that we can't ask for good things too--and we should, but those challenging situations are where real growth happens.

I also love the symbolism of crying out for rain, rain falling, and then having the showers make everything into lush pastures.  I think these life challenges bring healing rain with them.  Rain that washes away the drought and brings bright, vibrant colors to everything it touches.

A spring full with sunshine and showers.