Abundance In The Bush - Country DevotionsSample

Recharged

Before rain, God irrigated the ground with underground water (Genesis 2:5-6). Noah’s flood destroyed everything on the surface of the earth when, “...all the springs of the great deep burst forth…” Genesis 7:11. The streams or springs of the great deep are our water table - invisible water beneath the earth’s surface, making up 97% of the world’s fresh water. The water table ebbs close to the surface in some places and dives deep below in others depending on the landscape. Where we see springs, seeps, oases or wetlands, that’s the groundwater flowing to the surface.

Standing in the rain fixing the flood damaged fences (again), I remember our prayers of longing for this gift from heaven in extended dry times. I remember the drought stressed trees in a brown, parched land, the lean hungry stock, the sunburnt thirsty crops, and that unforgettable pre-rain scent.

In times of heavy rain, some water runs off into creeks and rivers, some evaporates back into the atmosphere, some is absorbed by plant roots and some soaks down into layers of sand, gravel, clay or cracked rock, recharging our water table. What a wonderful and priceless gift the rain is.

Lord God, thank You for the smell of coming rain, the life that rain renews, the wonderful gift that it is. Amen.