Standing In The Rain

 I have the privilege of writing a couple of grief support letters per month for my VNA family members who have lost loved ones.  I am thankful for that opportunity to encourage and bless them through their season.  This is one that hit me pretty hard in my own reflection, so I thought I would post it.  I haven't done anything with this blog in awhile, but I am trying to get back to it.  Here are my thoughts today:

I was listening to a sermon earlier in the week and there was a part of the sermon that literally wrecked me.  In fact, I had to wait to get to the office to listen to it again and write it down, because I knew it was a thought that I wanted to share with all of you, my grieving family.

So John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace, had a friend in his congregation who battled depression.  And when I say depression, it was a very crippling depression.  This individual had 4 bad cases of it in his life and John Newton walked with him through each one.  Newton, when his friend was going through depression, would tell him to write hymns during his time in this dark season and his friend did.  In fact, Newton and his friend wrote many hymns together and you can find them in a Hymnal called the Olney Hymns.  This friend also went on to write some amazing poetry over his lifetime.  The man’s name is William Cowper (pronounced Cooper).

But here is the line that struck me to my core.  Newton knew that words could not do anything for his friend, but here was his thought:  “I knew that I couldn’t make the cloud depart from Cowper, but I knew I could stand in the rain with him.”  Are you kidding me?  Newton wouldn’t even try to say anything to Cowper, he would just stand in the rain with him.  I love that dearly.

It reminded me when Job lost everything he had in life, his wealth, health, and children.  In his darkest season, he had three friends who came and for 7 days, stood in the rain with him.  And then they tried to use words and it was bad.

I think of a guy by the name of Ittai.  David’s own son was trying to kill him and David was completely overwhelmed by the happenings of life and yet, you find a foreigner, standing in the rain with David.  In fact, 2 Samuel 15:21 he says to David, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.”  I call that standing in the rain.

I think of Naomi who lost her husband and her two sons.  She was bitter and wanted people to call her bitter.  But then there was Ruth, her daughter-in-law, standing in the rain with her.

I literally had the joy, before covid hit, of watching two ladies in the Cape office show me what it looks like to stand in the rain with and for each other.

“I knew that I couldn’t make the cloud depart from Cowper, but I knew I could stand in the rain with him.”  Man, that is so good.  So it has led me to these two final thoughts.

1.       I really am praying for you and the season of grief that you are in.  I taste it often in my own cup and somedays it is a bit overwhelming.  But I am so grateful that Jesus stands in the rain with me and He stands in the rain with you.  Isaiah 41:10 says, “do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be anxious, for I am God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  Shew!!!  I need that, how about you?

2.       Are you standing in the rain with someone right now who needs it?  You know the pain.  Allow that pain to lead you to being a blessing for someone who is in pain.  I’m telling you, John Newton knew pain and he used that pain to stand in the rain with Cowper.  And the fewer words you use, the better.

One could say, as I finish this letter, Jesus left the Glories of Heaven to come to earth, to stand in the rain with us…