When I was a small girl, we learned a song in Sunday School. It was primarily about the parable of the “house built on a rock.” (See Matthew 7:24-27) The first verse spoke of the wise man, who built his house on the rock. The second verse spoke of the foolish man who built his house on the sand. But the third verse challenged listeners to “build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ.” The first two choruses spoke of the rains coming down and the floods coming up; the third chorus said that “the blessings come down as the prayers go up.”

Sometimes, memories forged in childhood come back to tease our thoughts as adults. We had a much-needed but powerful rain storm the other night. While it didn’t lead to floods, it did dump a lot of water on fields that were in great need of moisture. And it reminded me that many farmers and gardeners had been praying for rain. Rather selfishly, my husband and I had been praying for sleep– some of our neighbors had been setting off fireworks for several nights in a row, well into the late hours of the evening, keeping us awake, and terrorizing some of the Veterans in the neighborhood. The rain cut their activities short last night (even as it kept us awake with thunder, lightning, and raindrops on the roof!)

But I was also reminded that prayer works much like the water cycle. Prayers go up, much like dew getting absorbed every morning, or water droplets evaporating in the sun. We don’t see any change. There is nothing dramatic about evaporation or silent prayers in the night. Prayers go up from many different people in any different places with many different needs. And they seem to end up evaporating.

Sometimes, we look up and see empty skies, and wonder– Did God hear my prayer? Will He answer? The skies seem empty and silent for weeks. And then we see clouds–sometimes dark and threatening– and we wonder again. What is God doing? Where is the rain? Will it bring floods and winds and disaster? What went wrong?

Sometimes, our prayers seem to bring, not showers of blessing, but trouble and heartache. And yet.. God’s answers may not fit our thoughts or desires. I certainly didn’t want thunder and lightning instead of fireworks– both are noisy and aren’t conducive to restful sleep. But the rain brought much-needed nourishment to flowers and crops. It brought down the super hot temperatures, and lowered the humidity (a little). It even cleaned the dust from my vehicle, saving me from making a trip to the car wash! Of course, these are small effects of a single storm. And the noise of the rain, while loud, finally lulled me to sleep, so in a sense, my prayer was answered. It wasn’t what I had imagined, But the principle is the same. Even in our storms, disasters and tragedies, there are blessings– if we have the heart to look for them. God’s presence can bring us comfort and encouragement even in the darkest night, and in the floods of life.

Just as the parable and the song remind us– building a life on the Rock of Jesus Christ, including a lifestyle of prayer, will keep us strong and resilient in the storms of life– whether we’re facing raging floods or a simple downpour, we can find hope in the faithfulness of God’s provision. God WILL provide– in His time and in His way– everything we truly need. The sand, dust, and even some of our earthly treasures may be washed away, but, as long as we are built up on the Rock, we will be blessed– sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

Let’s keep sending the prayers up!