Rain. We seem to have experienced a lot of rain lately. The onslaught of hurricanes last year displaced thousands of people, though we all felt some effect of the hurricanes. Some people suffered extensive damage to their home and property while others simply couldn’t get tomatoes at a reasonable price. Eventually, the victims of Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne will recover, but for now, it’s a hardship we all endure.

Rain. It is everywhere in California. Floods and mudslides rumble through their towns, obliterating roads and wiping away their homes. Rescuers have valiantly searched for survivors in the destruction that has plagued the people of southern California. People there will recover too, once the rain stops.

Rain. I’ve grown accustomed to the rain in Georgia. During this time of the year, we begin our afternoon drenching. Moisture from the coast builds up inland and results in a short rainstorm. It’s no longer a surprise when the afternoon sky grows cloudy and rain begins to fall.

Rain. For those living in a drought, everyone dreams of rain. The precious resource that feeds life everywhere, but without it, everyone watches helplessly as everything around them shrivels into a slow, dry death.

That was the case in Samaria. It had not rained for three years. The Israelites waited for some sign that they would survive. Soon, they would run out of food—and hope. And it soon came. God spoke to Elijah and said, “Go see the king, for I will make it rain.” So Elijah went to King Ahab and said, “Get ready. I hear a heavy rain coming.” The king began to prepare for the rain.

Meanwhile, Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel where he had just defeated the prophets of Baal. He had shown that Yahweh was the true God, and that Baal was nothing more than a creation. Elijah stooped down with his face almost to the ground and waited for the rain to come. He asked his servant seven times to look for the rain God had promised, and each time he returned with the same report. Until finally, Elijah’s servant saw a small rain cloud, no larger than a fist, which soon grew into a thunderous storm. Rain had come.

The people of Israel had lost hope in their circumstances, but God had not lost hope in them. Even when they had turned from God to worship Baal, God was there. When the king prayed to another god, and the rains wouldn’t come, God was still there. Finally, as the rain fell, perhaps the people could hear it sing, “Hope is alive; it is alive in me. Put your hope in me, for I am your God, your Creator, your Love.”

Karen Pennings is an editor of FaithSteps.