California is bracing for a major storm today. People are wary and worried about the destruction it will bring. But they are also joyfully expectant and welcoming of the drenching it will bring to a land that has been parched by three years of severe drought. The storm is expected to the fiercest storm in five years, the strongest in a decade.
As I sit here and pray, and as the whole region waits for the winds and the rains from the storm; it all reminds me of the Advent hymn Rorate Caeli:
Drop down ye heavens, from above,
and let the skies rain down righteousness
Advent is a period of waiting and expectation. It is also a time for us to realize that we are not in control. Droughts come and go. We wait until the skies rain down and break the drought. Dryness in life come and go. We wait in joyful expectation until God rains down His grace upon us and removes our tears and sorrows away. We are sinners in need of salvation. We are imperfect beings in search of perfection and fulfillment. We await in joyful expectation for the coming of the Savior who will bring us to the fullness of life. In prayer and joyful expectation, we trust that good things come to those who wait.
The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
~ Psalm 145
Jesus said to the crowds:
“Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Matthew 11:11-15