It is Monday… and it is raining.  For some reason I remember that it was in the spring of 1971, my senior year of high school, when the song “Rainy Days and Mondays” was released by the Carpenters. I still believe there are few female vocalists that have a more mellow vocal sound than Karen Carpenter. She is one of my favorites.

To many, it might seem strange to hear me say this. The image I portrayed during those days was that of an outgoing teen who had nothing to worry about.  Yes, I liked the easy sound of the Carpenters, but it was probably the words that really made this song one of my favorites, especially the words of second verse, “What I’ve got they used to call the blues. Nothin’ is really wrong, Feelin’ like I don’t belong; Walkin’ around, Some kind of lonely clown, Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.”

Have you ever had that feeling – that you don’t seem to belong? Or maybe there are days when, regardless of what you do or where you are, you feel like a “lonely clown”? Do rainy days and Mondays always get you down?  They certainly don’t have to!

There is a song of Moses found in Deuteronomy 32 that has a verse where rain is a source of refreshment and renewal. It is a reminder that God’s disclosure of himself by words of instruction was intended to be as refreshing as rain drips on dry ground.

32 “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,
and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
2  May my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and like showers upon the herb.
3  For I will proclaim the name of the LORD;
ascribe greatness to our God! (English Standard Version)

We usually don’t think of rain in such a pleasant manner.  Gary Hall reminds us of the refreshment and blessing of rain when you are in a dry and barren land:

“The image of God’s word bringing precious moisture to the plants was a vivid one for ancient Israel. Rain was plentiful in only a few places in the Promised Land. In general it rained only in the fall and spring. Southern regions were very dry. Hot winds and drought were a real threat to tender, new plants. Dew, showers, and rain were life-giving phenomena and brought pleasant images to the mind.” (Gary Hall, Deuteronomy, The College Press NIV Commentary, 468).

When I was a teenager I didn’t find comfort and companionship in God’s Word as I do now.  Maybe if we instill such an image in the minds of our children and friends, if we could once again think of God’s Word as “life-giving,” then we, too, could find refreshment and renewal. Listen and meditate upon these verses from Psalm 119.9-11:

9  How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10  With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
11  I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you. (ESV)