Have you ever been on vacation in a beautiful place and it is raining? We are in Costa Rica and it is the rainy season. This is a tropical rainforest, you know. It will rain for an hour or two most afternoons and then the sun comes out and everything is lush and green. Again, God’s great plan.

Today we are enjoying a glorious rain with rolling thunder. I only wish you could be here to hear and smell it. It is magnificent. I am not disappointed by the rain. It reminds me of the glory of God. He created this diverse world from hot, dry deserts to cool, breezy forests.

When I think of God’s creation I am overwhelmed by His great plan. He has created the world and each of us to be sustained by His mighty power. Everything in the ecosystem has a purpose to provide all we need to survive. We have a friend who says that if you like ice cream don’t complain about the rain. It makes the grass grow and the cows produce milk.

God’s great plan for us all is to more than survive. He wants us to flourish. He wants us to produce fruit and help others to grow. Jesus tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches. (John 15)

This has been the most nourishing vacation we’ve ever taken. Things are much slower in Costa Rica. It seems even the clocks have slowed down. I can spend such a long quiet time with Him each day. I feel Him near and it is like a warm, silky shawl covering me.

I pray you will spend more and more time with the Lord each day. Let His Word feed you and grow in His love and grace. Don’t look at the rain as a negative thing but a reminder of His glorious gift to us all.