Psalm 147:7-9

New International Version

Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
    make music to our God on the harp.

He covers the sky with clouds;
    he supplies the earth with rain
    and makes grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle
    and for the young ravens when they call

For Encouragement

Fall is in the air with browning leaves, and summer is giving way to the hibernation of animals and plants for the coming winter. Cycles of nature put in place by the God of creation  always remain the same, at the command of the Creator, who sits above all the seen and unseen things.

The grass around our house had lost its luster—the lush green color that has adorned the almost perfectly manicured lawns. Looking at the browning grass dampened my cheerful mood. The scorching sun made the sprinklers less effective in renewing the grass. Delightfully, God has a way of maintaining His glory in every situation. He slowly introduces the Autumn Season, and then Winter, with its snow-covered foliage and capped mountains..

On Saturday afternoon, everything changed within seconds, and the air cooled. Thunder sounded, and lightning lighted the skies. Soon, the heavens opened and poured sheets of rain on our sun-scotched lawn. My grandchildren took pictures of pellets of hail on our sunroof. Their joy refreshed me in the wonder of our God, who rules and commands everything in His creation (Job 37:1-7).

The morning sun rose with majestic beauty and a refreshing new day. The grass had renewed its greenery, and the lushness of the lawns brought life back to my aching old bones. I stood in awe at the power of a single rainfall to renew life in the dying grass, which revealed the majesty of our God. 

My mind flashed back to Koulouck, a village in Senegal where our church maintains an outreach ministry. All dry, hot, and sandy for about nine months in the year, but at the scent of the rains, life springs forth and turns the sandy fields green. Farmers rejoice and look forward to a good harvest. 

Psalm 147:7-9 instructs people to sing praises to the Lord for sending rain to nourish the grass and provide food for cattle and ravens..

Joel brings it together in 2:23-24:

Be glad then, you children of Zion,

And rejoice in the Lord your God;

For He has given you the former rain faithfully,

And He will cause the rain to come down for you—

The former rain,

And the latter rain in the first month.

The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,

And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

Isn’t God good?

Every time the rain falls, remember the faithfulness of God to keep His creation until Jesus comes to renew all things forever. He calls you to renewal in His covenant love through Christ Jesus so that you may have a new life in Him. That calls for praise in response to His faithfulness and mercy, which starts afresh each morning (Lamentations 3:23).