There was a great drought in Jerusalem during Honi's life, and he cried desperately out to God for it to be ended. He drew a circle in the ground outside and declared that he would not leave the circle until God answered his prayer for rain. He begins to pray, and a drizzle slowly begins to fall. Amazed, the people around Honi rush to him and urge him to seek shelter. He refused, pointedly declaring "Not for such rain have I prayed," and he resumed praying. The rain changed at that point, becoming violent and soaking the earth. Again, the people urged Honi to seek shelter, and again he answered that this was not the rain that he had prayed for. Finally, the rain shifted once more. This rain was different from the light drizzle and the violent downpour; this rain was sweet and refreshing. It soaked the earth gently, and only then did Honi stand up and leave his circle. This was the rain for which he had prayed.
The entire point of the challenge was to pray persistently. Too often, we presume that we have received an answer and quit praying before we have really gotten what we wanted. Now, of course, there are caveats to this. God's plans are not ours, nor do we understand his ways. However in the Bible there is a precedent set of praying persistently (Elijah and Jesus come to my mind immediately).
When I was offered the job in Concordia, I was incredibly apprehensive. After a semester of job hunting disappointment, I was ecstatic to think of having a job, but I wanted to be sure that I was accepting the job that God wanted me to take - not just seeking to provide for myself. As I have spent the past few days starting to settle into Concordia, I truly feel that this is the rain that I have prayed for. As tentative as I was to accept a job in a town with which I have no prior connections, I have seen God confirm in so many small ways that I am where He wants me.
Although Concordia, Missouri is far from the inner city school I planned to teach in (a dream that I have not given up on by any means - after all, I have about another 50 years of teaching ahead of me) it is so clearly where I am to be for this season. I couldn't be more excited to begin my teaching career anywhere. I can see how all of these tiny pieces of my life and preparation for teaching are fitting together in Concordia. It is an incredibly wonderful - and peaceful - thing to watch God's faithfulness and His answers to SO many of my - and others' prayers on my behalf - unfold.
It reminds me of how the ancient Israelites would set up memorials to remind themselves of instances of God's faithfulness and deliverance (Joshua 4, Deut. 6:7-9). In some small way, I want this blog post to be my "pile of rocks." I want to remember this time of seeing God's faithfulness so clearly and definitely.
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:1-2
