Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.
Hosea 6:3 (NIV)
Spring Rains
One in three of Canada’s large cities receive a metre (39 inches) or more of rain and snow a year. Abbotsford, British Columbia tops the list with an average 1538 millimetres, about five feet, of precipitation falling annually. But Abbotsford isn’t even among the top three cities for most days a year with precipitation. That honour falls to St. John’s, Newfoundland along with Saguenay and Sherbrooke in Quebec. Where Abbotsford does excel is in frequency of rain. The Lower Fraser Valley urban centre averages 174 rainy days a year.
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Spring is the favourite season for many in Canada. After a long cold winter, the first warm breezes and spring rain bring the promise of flowers, green grass and fresh crops. The Bible speaks of the movements of the seasons. The prophet Hosea wrote about this in Hosea 6:3: “Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” One of the unique aspects of the nature of the God of the Bible is that He draws alongside those who call out to Him. He is not a God who is removed from His people. He loves to show up when we need Him with us. These words were written before Jesus was born – the prophet was pointing to the coming of the Messiah. The day came when He appeared, just as Hosea said He would. He still does. As surely as the spring rains come each year, Jesus shows up when we put our faith and trust in Him. You can count on this.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley