Advent Devotional by Karen Trischler

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. (Psalm 72:6)

Rain.  The pitter patter of gentle falling rain is so soothing a sound that it can lull its hearer into a reverie of peace.  While the torrent of a monsoon or a hurricane causes devastation, chaos, and fear, the splattering of a gentle rainfall, for me, brings the opposite: renewal, peace, and contentment.  During times of heat and drought, the earth longs for the replenishment that comes with the rain.  Plants wilt, flowers die, and the ground cracks.  What once was full of life and beauty turns into a paltry, barren insignificance.

There are moments in our lives when we feel like that: neglected, meager, and insignificant.  The flowers within us stop blooming, and our greenery turns brown, but Jesus will restore us the same way that showers water the earth.  He will renew our spirits, and we will thrive once again with strength and beauty.  We may have to wait longer than we would like, but the showers will come.

Likewise, we are waiting during this time of Advent for the birth of our Lord and Savior, and we rejoice in the life-giving precipitation that He brings to us.  Let us take off our shoes and splash in the puddles.  Let us relish the moments of saturation, praising God for all that has been bestowed upon us, and let us soak up as much as we can to sustain us during the next drought.

Karen Trischler