I pray at the kitchen sink more than anywhere else.
I think it’s something to do with the soothing warm water and the fact that washing dishes is a focused task. Compared to, say, cleaning up the living room, which has me rabbit trailing between toys and books and the old carpet stain I keep meaning to re-treat and the nagging reminder from an overstuffed basket that I need to sort through the mail.
At the kitchen sink there are only dishes and soap suds and my thoughts.
Late at night while the household sleeps I straggle into the kitchen between cleaning up and bedtime to find peace in a sink full of waiting dishes. And before I know it I am turning over more than cups; I am sharing what I find in the back of my mind with the God who meets me in my unconventional kitchen.
So as I rinse my bright red frying pan I find myself praying desperate dreams for the future.
I pray for what I want, but rarely for what I have.
Until I was recently reminded of this verse:
“Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain . . . .” Zechariah 10:1 (ESV).
In the season of rain, pray for rain.
And suddenly it’s New Year’s Eve 1999, and I’m back on a dry game farm in Zimbabwe surrounded by farmers who haven’t seen decent rain in months. These sun-weathered men sit in their rough clothes at a long table that’s been set for dinner under the Southern Cross. The soft linens and delicate place settings are a quirky contrast to those seated before them ready to toast in the new millennium.
The first course is cucumber soup.
But with first bites come cold, hard drops. The soup ricochets up at those dipping spoons down into it. Rough faces and beards are splattered green. Cucumber soup everywhere but in our mouths.
Rain. Long looked for rain pelts down from the clouds that are our only ceiling tonight. I prepare to make a dash for it – to shelter and warmth and the inside of the lodge.
But I am the only one to move.
A table of grown men carries on their meal as the rain falls down and the soup splashes up. The thunder and force of the water is so loud that it crowds out any attempt at conversation.
But their actions speak louder than words and my father interprets them for me, “They won’t leave the rain, because they don’t want it to leave them.” In the season of rain, they want more rain. And they are afraid if they get up it will be over.
With soap suds up to my elbows I lean on the sink, remembering.
What I have now is once what I wanted so desperately: healed marriage, healthy children, incredibly meaningful work. I don’t want to lose sight of these in the chase after my next prayer request.
In the season of rain – still – pray for rain. Presume nothing; take nothing for granted; treasure everything.
Because, once the rain begins and sends soup splashing all over you, it’s tempting to walk away from the answered prayer and move on to the next thing.
I do not want to do that.
I want to sit and revel in what God has given me here and now. I want it to splash up and onto and all over me. I want to pray for its protection and its continuation.
Daily, between soap suds and dirty dishes, I want to pray for what I have.
How about you – what were you once desperate for? What have you been given? What do you need to remember to treasure?
Let’s sit out in the rain and share, shall we?
{A repost from last year as I stand out here in the downpour of wonder and anticipation at going home again to Africa}
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Every time I read your blogs you are like rain to my thirsty soul :) I’m a “MiMi” to a 2 yr old & 4 yr old whom I babysit daily & I find myself wandering through the toys & spots in the carpet & only being able to murmur Dear Lord as I start to pray before I fall asleep!! Thank you for putting into words so eloquently what we need to be reminded of!! Hugs to you!!
I type late into the night on this Wednesday the 15th…have been up late preparing for the 16th birthday celebration of my firstborn. My miracle Caleb; this towering man-boy, who laughs and loves and serves and displays the glory of God in the simple act of being alive. All that I prayed for, begged for, years of fears and doubts…and now, rain pelting down on this healthy life, this walking-talking-gift-of-grace. So here in the dim light of computer screen I smile and weep, and lift my face to the rain of His Reign…and say, ‘Thank You, Jesus! Thank You! Who am I, and who is my family, that You have blessed us so?’
Amen and amen.
Thank you. Because I need to be reminded of the fact that I’m in the midst of all those things I longed for for years. And even though my days are challenging, i need to thank God for those challenging moments he has blessed me with. Sometimes we don’t anticipate getting splashed with cucumber soup. And it could seem that our plans are wrecked, or not what we wanted/envisioned. But hello! it’s JUST what we wanted. So I shall sit in the rain with cucumber soup, green on my face. :) (Or at least I shall try.)
And how did I miss this post the first time?
This was beautiful. Such a timely reminder for me, and what a powerful scripture…. I am deeply moved by these beautiful words… Thank you so fo this, Lisa-Jo. Bless you. You have such a gift.
How about you – what were you once desperate for? What have you been given? What do you need to remember to treasure?
Oh, my children. My beautiful, wild children. I wanted them for so many years and I did so much to get them. So when they fight and drive me crazy and don’t obey and frustrate me to no end I need to remember to treasure them.
What an amazing word picture of rain-starved farmers.
okay, heading to that verse…..my husband answered a call to missions about a year ago. he’s a recruiter/trip planner for wycliffe. i prayed so hard for him as he knew he had to leave the business world. but when he accepted the call, i moved right on in to praying fervently for finances, not stopping to rest in the beauty of an answered prayer. thank you for your words….
oh i loved this post the first time and it definitely takes on new light in this season i’m in right now. mmmhmmm, i’d be more than okay to have even a little rain. sometimes you just have to be like the persistent widow until any rain comes.
Yes, Katy,yes. That too my friend
This brought tears to my eyes, Lisa-Jo. Right now as I think of *possibilities* before me and I whine over the waiting that is so hard…the waiting for His will to be revealed, and His promises fulfilled…I need to immerse myself in the soap suds of today. I need to play and splash about in these moments. I want to be fully here. Arms full of soapy smiles – the {Grace} of today.
Rich blessings as you prepare to venture *home*…to a place that will welcome you and all the ways you’ve grown since you were last there…
This is so very beautiful & just what I needed to read today, what I should read everyday.
I miss Sierra Leone frequently. This just made me smile. Reminded me of a long, hard day we had there, when nothing seemed to go our way. We got home for dinner, and it started raining. My teammates proceeded to play in the rain. And I watched, with joy overflowing. God has a way of causing that sort of thing.
Beautiful – Amen. Holding in the tears here at work… I’ve been dealing with some jealousy issues toward my single, non-mommy friends, and was just convicted about it yesterday. I have everything I ever wanted in Christ and in my beautiful family, and so in this season of rain I’ll pray for rain… however strange it sounds!
Oh…Lisa-Jo. What beautiful words. And I love the pic of the kids at the sink…my boys are almost grown now and this brought back some very sweet memories…
Thank you for this.
During the rain, I love to sit on the porch to listen and watch and be thankful. Just this past Sunday, my oldest son and I enjoyed a cup of coffee and simple conversation while it rained the most beautiful rain we have had in while….good times.
My new blog is LifeUndertheOakTree and its about The Word, Woship and Prayer being the roots of my life. Would you mind if I link your blog to mine for a post. As in, may I direct my (very few) readers to your page? I cannot say what you did any more clearly.
Please let me know. I understand if you don’t feel comfortable with this as you do not know me…except through Twitter Land :-)
Oh you’d be more than welcome!
Wow, rain is falling into my coffee as I read this. Rain from my eyes and my heart because it continues to reassure my soul that OUR GOD REIGNS here, in Africa, in the hearts of farmers in the dust and moms in the fray. Thanks for this blessing today!
Exquisite…I pray for what I have..thank you thank you for this amazing message!
Chris
Thank you so much for sharing! I drank in every word into my soul!
Amen, and thank you!
This is one of my favorite scriptures! I once heard a sermon on this that revolutionized my prayer life because it essentially encourages us to look at where God is ALREADY working and join Him there (a’la Henry Blackby – Experiencing God)… “Ask for favor in the season of favor” …. I spent an entire season of my life doing this and it transformed my life. It was THIS prayer that moved me down to GA and started one of the most incredible healing and growth seasons of my life.
thanks for the reminder friend… I so needed this redirect today :)
Your gentle words have convicted me. Too often I pray for something, the Lord answers me and gives me what I’ve asked for, I say a quick prayer of thanks, and move on. Thank you for the reminder to be daily grateful for what I’ve asked for and received, and even for the parts of my situation that may not be “exactly what I want.” God has a wonderful purpose in everything He’s given, and everything He hasn’t. Be blessed, Lisa-Jo. You’ve certainly blessed me!
what a truly inspirational post! thank you
I told you this morning on Twitter how much I am digging your blog! Your pictures (let alone the subjects) are beautiful and you have such a great writing style! I am ever-so-much enjoying my time here :)
Aw shucks – we love chocolate covered encouragement around these parts! Thank YOU!
as i was reading, i knew this is a post that will stay with me for a long long time. i closed my eyes and saw nothing but blessings and prayed for all of them again and again.
Oh I really love this post and how convicting it is. I needed that gentle kick. :)
I really like this. My blog post today was all about talking to God at the sink, while doing dishes. I love the vision of those men remaining at the table, as their prayers were answered.
Beautiful, as always. Praising and continuing to pray for what I have been gracefully given.
Thanks for this today. Must have missed it the first time around (or it wasn’t something I needed to hear then) but today it hit the spot. Will look at the rainy English days differently as I am blessed and forget it all too often.
Already praying for your long trip home. x
As someone who’s family was just healed, I do thank God for it everyday. But I am also guilty of praying for the next thing as soon as I get what I’ve been praying for. Thank you for this today, I really needed to hear it.
You are so right… by forgetting, and moving onto the next thing. Reminds me of the Israelites– how so often God delivered them, and so quickly they forgot. I am just like that.
This is a beautiful post, the story of those men who didn’t leave in the rain… a powerful image. I, too, want to stay in the rain when God pours that rain on me– that grace, that answer to prayer, that blessing… I’m touched and moved by your lovely words.
I pray for this love that I have found never to go away, that I will always be in love and will always be with him, my dear HarmJan. He has asked me to marry him 2 weeks ago and I said yes. And I will become a stepmom then too, their mother still alive. It is so big this love that I have found, his love for me and all the space he has for me. I am one happy woman and yet there is always that nagging voice, that voice you wrote about, trying to undo this bliss, trying to undo me. I am not going to let it, no way. I just do not pay any attention anymore, I just say hi and continue towards the light or in the light. Why should I think of all those broken relationships in the world and all the reasons of why it could go wrong when what I have is so tremendous and beautiful that I sometimes burst with it? So yes, I pray daily, even though it is to the universe and not to a particular god, for this bliss to stay with me and for it not ending. So far so good! Thank you Lisa Jo. I wish you a very, very good trip to SA and your homeland.
Big hugs
Selina
Being thankful in the moment – not moving on to the “next thing”. As He blesses us and talks to us – being grateful that we know to listen and obey.
Slow down to hear Him.
I love, “I want to sit and revel in what God has given me here and now. I want it to splash up and onto and all over me.”
Blessings,
Jan who also blogs at http://jancoxabetterway.wordpress.com