Grace Like Rain
God's provision even through dry spells
Growing up, one of the most overlooked miracles in my life was rain. Sure, I’d studied the water cycle in school with every other American. I knew water evaporated from the ocean, condensed into puffy clouds, and descended as liquid drops back to the earth. But rain rarely affected my daily routine.
Since I didn’t participate in outdoor sports (except for my first and last track season as a high school Freshman), the rain rarely interfered with my personal plans. I could always step into a vehicle and make a dash for the entrance to my indoor activity well enough even in a downpour. I did not own a rain slicker, a pair rain boots, or even my own umbrella as I could always borrow one from my parents. In short, rain — this life-giving boon from the heavens — basically didn’t matter to me.
Until I planted a garden.
It turns out, vegetables need water to grow, and not just one or two helpings of it. They need CONSISTENT WATERING. If I throw my seeds into the ground and dump a bucket of water over them in the spring, that won’t be enough to get them through the summer. They must receive a regular dousing from either the rainclouds or my hose.
For the first time in my life, I started scanning the 10-Day weather forecast in search of cloud icons and high precipitation percentages. If we had too many sunny days in a row, I’d have to water my parched tomatoes and squash promptly or risk them withering away before producing a harvest.
Now, it’s one thing to live in the city and have a few raised beds which need occasional attention. It’s another thing entirely to live in the country where you are not only growing fresh veg for the family, but also over an acre of grass for the goats and cow.
This is when I realized how dependent I was on rain. As much as I would like to water my entire property during a drought, my hose is simply too short to reach all of it. Moreover, it takes a lot of time to saturate the ground long enough for plants to slake their thirst.
This spring, my area just outside Chattanooga, TN, experienced far less rainfall than normal. According to my brother in law who checked the stats, we were running about twelve inches below average precipitation. A whole foot below average!
To help you better see what a foot below average rainfall looks like, here’s a photo my husband took from the back yard in April 2025:
See how lush everything looks?
Now here’s a picture I took of the front yard in April 2026:
Notice how the lawn looks a little … sparse?
So, yes. I prayed a lot for rain this spring. And I’m happy to report that even though the grass didn’t grow as tall as it normally does in April, we did receive enough rain in May for it to continue. It did not wither and completely disappear. There was enough for it to endure till the next cloudburst.
Every time we’d hear the plink, plink,, plink of raindrops pelting the roof, we’d practically jump for joy. I am pretty sure my zucchini plants doubled in size within a week or two. According to my brother in law, we are now only down to a four inch rain deficit — which is WAY better than a full foot.
It’s never fun to go through a dry spell, either literal or metaphorical. But taking my anxieties to the Lord in prayer and asking for both provision and peace in the waiting has sustained me through many weary seasons. As have picking up my metaphorical hoses for supplementary watering: reading God’s word, worshipping at church, leaning into relationships, continuing in the work I know I’m called to, and stewarding my body and belongings well.
Currently, my husband is navigating a job transition which has been both exciting and exhausting as our routine has flown the coop and we pray and wait for favor and direction. But in the meantime, we have provision for our daily bread and encouragement from the growing green garden that God will give us what we need.
His provision may not arrive according to my preferred timing — I would never schedule a dry spell if I could help it — but I will say that having occasional wilderness periods reminds me I am a dependent creature and have a kind Creator.
Who gives me grace.
And rain.
sweet