We’ve recently experienced a good deal of rain here in Arkansas. I’ve been amazed at the variety of rains. “Big ol’ fat rain, and itty bitty stinging rain,” as Forrest would say. I’ve also been amazed at the sheer quantity of the rain. The evidence of which can still be seen in anything from the puddles in my street ditches to the east Arkansas towns that are many feet deep in the flow of the crested White River. While some of it is frightening and depressing, it’s reminded me of this humble and awesome bit of observation.
The Great Work of God: Rain
A Thanksgiving Meditation
By John Piper November 19, 1998
Job 5:8-10
But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth, And sends water on the fields. Job 5:8-10
If you said to someone: "My God does great and unsearchable things; He does wonders without number," and they responded, "Really? Like what?" would you say, "Rain"?
When I read these verses recently I felt like I did when I heard the lyrics to a Sonny and Cher song in 1969: "I'd live for you. I'd die for you. I'd even climb the mountain high for you." Even? I would die for you. I would even climb a high mountain for you? The song was good for a joke. Or a good illustration of bad poetry. Not much else.
But Job is not joking. "God does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth." In Job's mind, rain really is one of the great, unsearchable wonders that God does. So when I read this a few weeks ago, I resolved not to treat it as meaningless pop musical lyrics. I decided to have a conversation with myself (= meditation).
Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God? Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream. A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come on the fields from another source. From where?
Well, the sky. The sky? Water will come out of the clear blue sky? Well, not exactly. Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea, over several hundred miles and then be poured out from the sky onto the fields. Carried? How much does it weigh? Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.
That's heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it's so heavy? Well, it gets up there by evaporation. Really? That's a nice word. What's it mean? It means that the water sort of stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down. I see. Then how does it get down? Well, condensation happens. What's that? The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That's small.
What about the salt? Salt? Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt? Well, the salt has to be taken out. Oh. So the sky picks up a billion pounds of water from the sea and takes out the salt and then carries it for three hundred miles and then dumps it on the farm?
Well it doesn't dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds water down in little drops. And they have to be big enough to fall for one mile or so without evaporating, and small enough to keep from crushing the wheat stalks.
How do all these microscopic specks of water that weigh a billion pounds get heavy enough to fall (if that's the way to ask the question)? Well, it's called coalescence. What's that? It means the specks of water start bumping into each other and join up and get bigger. And when they are big enough, they fall. Just like that? Well, not exactly, because they would just bounce off each other instead of joining up, if there were no electric field present. What? Never mind. Take my word for it.
I think, instead, I will just take Job's word for it. I still don't see why drops ever get to the ground, because if they start falling as soon as they are heavier than air, they would be too small not to evaporate on the way down, but if they wait to come down, what holds them up till they are big enough not to evaporate? Yes, I am sure there is a name for that too. But I am satisfied now that, by any name, this is a great and unsearchable thing that God has done. I think I should be thankful - lots more thankful than I am.
Grateful to God for the wonder of rain,
Pastor John
By: John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
Used with permission.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
What Others Think
This was a lesson taught to the youth of our church a few weeks ago. I identified with the message, and I thought others might as well. So I’m sharing.
Life is too short to spend time and energy worrying about what others think of us. Or should we care about what others think precisely because that really matters in this short life? Should we be radically free from what others think, so that we don’t fall into the indictment of being a “second-hander” or “man-pleaser,” a slave to expediency? Or should we keep an eye out for what others think of what we do, so that we don’t fall into the indictment of being boorish and insensitive and offensive? The answer is not simple. John Piper, Life As A Vapor
This is an odd predicament that we often find ourselves in. Do we adhere to the teaching of and the sharing of the gospel in all situations, no matter who we may intrude upon, offend, or otherwise put off? Or should we focus on maintaining a good reputation among others by tending to their feelings and desires, and being a “real” person by having an open mind and relaxing our rigid boundaries of right and wrong?
Let’s look at what the Bible says about such issues. In Luke 6:26 Jesus says, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you.” In Galatians 1:10 the Apostle Paul says, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Mark 12:14 and 1 Thessalonians 2:4 also contain similar messages. According to what Jesus and the Apostle Paul say here, we are not to be concerned with making everybody happy. In fact, we are to be concerned if everybody is happy with us. Furthermore, Paul says that you cannot serve Christ and worry about making everybody happy at the same time. The answer seems simple when you ask the right question: Do I please men, or God? Should I bend myself to please men who have the power to destroy my body, or do stand firm in order to please God, who has the power to judge my heart and appoint my eternity? In this light, obviously, I wish to please God above men.
However, continuing to use the Bible as our guide, we find what seems to be conflicting passages. Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 says, “We want to avoid criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.” And, 1 Timothy 3:7 says, speaking of church leaders, “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” Romans 15:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:12 also provide useful information to this issue. According to what we read in these verses, it is not only desirable, but also of very high importance to achieve and maintain a good reputation among your peers and all those around you. This is of such importance, that it is listed as a requirement of being a church leader, like an elder or deacon.
So which is it? What are we to do? Surely there are plenty of circumstances in which we must decide between pleasing people and pleasing God. How do we know when to please who? If we believe the Bible does not contradict itself, then what is it trying to say to us? Maybe we are asking the wrong question. Maybe we don’t have to view the decision making process as having an “either/or,” answer. Consider what Paul says in Philippians 1:20, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” There it is – To live is Christ! What he is saying is that in everything we do, our primary concern should be to glorify Christ. If we keep that goal of exalting Christ in focus in our everyday decisions, big and small, easy and difficult, we cannot go wrong. Most certainly there will be times when we must do what others may not be pleased with, just as there will be times when we should bend over backwards for them. But if we consider Christ, we can both please our Creator and hold the respect of our peers at the same time.
Life is too short to spend time and energy worrying about what others think of us. Or should we care about what others think precisely because that really matters in this short life? Should we be radically free from what others think, so that we don’t fall into the indictment of being a “second-hander” or “man-pleaser,” a slave to expediency? Or should we keep an eye out for what others think of what we do, so that we don’t fall into the indictment of being boorish and insensitive and offensive? The answer is not simple. John Piper, Life As A Vapor
This is an odd predicament that we often find ourselves in. Do we adhere to the teaching of and the sharing of the gospel in all situations, no matter who we may intrude upon, offend, or otherwise put off? Or should we focus on maintaining a good reputation among others by tending to their feelings and desires, and being a “real” person by having an open mind and relaxing our rigid boundaries of right and wrong?
Let’s look at what the Bible says about such issues. In Luke 6:26 Jesus says, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you.” In Galatians 1:10 the Apostle Paul says, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Mark 12:14 and 1 Thessalonians 2:4 also contain similar messages. According to what Jesus and the Apostle Paul say here, we are not to be concerned with making everybody happy. In fact, we are to be concerned if everybody is happy with us. Furthermore, Paul says that you cannot serve Christ and worry about making everybody happy at the same time. The answer seems simple when you ask the right question: Do I please men, or God? Should I bend myself to please men who have the power to destroy my body, or do stand firm in order to please God, who has the power to judge my heart and appoint my eternity? In this light, obviously, I wish to please God above men.
However, continuing to use the Bible as our guide, we find what seems to be conflicting passages. Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 says, “We want to avoid criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.” And, 1 Timothy 3:7 says, speaking of church leaders, “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” Romans 15:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:12 also provide useful information to this issue. According to what we read in these verses, it is not only desirable, but also of very high importance to achieve and maintain a good reputation among your peers and all those around you. This is of such importance, that it is listed as a requirement of being a church leader, like an elder or deacon.
So which is it? What are we to do? Surely there are plenty of circumstances in which we must decide between pleasing people and pleasing God. How do we know when to please who? If we believe the Bible does not contradict itself, then what is it trying to say to us? Maybe we are asking the wrong question. Maybe we don’t have to view the decision making process as having an “either/or,” answer. Consider what Paul says in Philippians 1:20, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” There it is – To live is Christ! What he is saying is that in everything we do, our primary concern should be to glorify Christ. If we keep that goal of exalting Christ in focus in our everyday decisions, big and small, easy and difficult, we cannot go wrong. Most certainly there will be times when we must do what others may not be pleased with, just as there will be times when we should bend over backwards for them. But if we consider Christ, we can both please our Creator and hold the respect of our peers at the same time.
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