Through Bright Sunshine & Hard Rains (God Speaks!)

Last weekend, my sweet husband took me out on an unplanned date. He brought me to this beautiful place he calls, "His Secret Place". It was a one and a half drive along the mountain slopes of Rizal province. It was a bright and sunny day, a perfect weather  to go to such a perfect place. As we were traveling, I whispered a prayer and asked God to show us His glory when we arrive to this secret place. I didn't want it to be just a date with my husband, I wanted God to be with us and enjoy some quiet fellowship with Him.

We reached the place around 4:00 pm. I was very excited to explore the place when it suddenly started to drizzle. We decided to go inside the restaurant and eat our merienda while waiting for the drizzle to stop. I was a bit upset and disappointed thinking that the drizzle might not stop and we wouldn't have the chance to roam around and enjoy the place. I prayed for the food before we ate, and I asked God if He could please stop the drizzle so we can enjoy our date.

Right after I finished praying, the rain poured even harder! Mike and I didn't expect that kind of heavy rain because the sun was brightly shining during the entire time that we were traveling. I became more upset, this time, I was actually worried. It was almost 5:00 pm and it was still raining very hard. I was afraid for Mike to drive our way down the dark, slippery mountain slopes with the rain heavily pouring (the road is prone to landslides). I started making plans in my head and even planned to ask Mike if we could just stay there for the night.

A few minutes later, to our surprise, the heavy rain suddenly stopped. Like an unveiling curtain, the sun showed up, and shone brightly again! I was amazed when I saw the fogs forming and smelled the sweet scent of the earth after the rain... it was such a wonderful experience!

I realized that I have experienced so many "bright sunshine and hard rains" moments in my life. With a sincere heart, I ask God to reveal Himself more to me, to let me experience His Glory. Then He sends hard rains and my immediate response is to get upset, to worry, and to start making my own plans. That day, He made me realize that He has His own way of revealing His Glory -- sometimes through bright sunshine, but most of the time, through hard rains... times when it seems very dark and cloudy, times when the situation seems hopeless... until He unveils the curtains, commands the rain to stop and for the sun to show up again! It may not always be the way that I had prayed for or hoped to happen, but in the end, it will be in a way that He will be most glorified! And as I look around, all I can see are traces of His presence -- like the fogs, the rays of sun through the clouds, the droplets of water in the leaves, the smell of the earth after the rain... All I can see are traces of His love -- the provisions, the lessons, His hand of discipline that leads us to His path of righteous living... He was there all along, through bright sunshine and hard rains.