feels like worship

Psalm 66:1-4

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name."
Selah

I am sitting here at my kitchen table this morning listening to the sound of the rain hitting the pavement outside (YES, it does occasionally rain here in So Cal)... I love rain... especially when you haven't had it for 40 days straight. I think it is because (to me) it represents cleansing, freshness... even newness. It reminds me on my childhood.

I remember the storms that used to move across the prairies where I grew up. It would be dry, dusty and lifeless yellow everywhere you'd look. The air (and everything else) seemed thin... without substance.

And then...

in a moment...

you could feel the shift.

The air would become heavier and begin to smell like Spring at the lake. And it would begin to move, like it was alive... you could feel the storm coming. And though the sky would still be light blue from one gigantic end to the other you KNEW the storm was coming. After a while the edge of the giant blue sheet would turn purple... then almost black... and it would move with steady, constant power from one edge to the other. And when the storm hit it was like some sort of misplaced tsunami or tidal wave. The rain wasn't a mist or even drops... it felt like my Labrador's tongue as he licks my hand... womp, womp, womp. In a moment you are soaked. In an instant the dust and dryness was gone. You could cut the air with your hand. And as quick as it arrived, it would vanish... except for the amazing smells and sights of newness and life.

It feels like redemption.

It feels like new life.

It feels like worship.