Message summary: Let us all "praise God from whom all blessings flow" and acknowledge, with Jeremiah, the absolute source of our hope this day and every day. "Therefore our hope is in You, for You are the one who does all this".

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"Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is You, O LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in You" (Jeremiah 14:22).

We usually describe good weather as a sunny day with no rain. After all, who wants it to rain on their picnic? Of course every day someone is having a picnic, going to the park or doing something in which they wish for sunny and dry weather.

In some parts of the world they have specific rainy seasons and then a long period with little to no rain. Then there's the desert where it rarely rains. In our region we have rains scattered throughout the year so it tends to stay very green from the buds of Spring till the seasonal change in Autumn. Even in the winter the conifer trees and winter wheat stay green.

Last week and for the last several days we've had cold, rainy weather, lots of rain, so we are sure ready for a break for some "good" weather but being close to agriculture we are especially mindful of the blessing of rain. One's perspective on rain changes when you live near the soil. When living away from a farming area you may be academically aware of the need for rain but you're more mindful of the need if you plant flowers, grow a small garden or mow a lawn that show the effects of dryness when there's no rain.

And when you live near expansive fields of crops and interface with farmers you're even more aware of how utterly dependent we are on God's gracious gift of rain. It's an example of what theologians call "common grace"; that is, God's manifestation of His grace and goodness to all regardless of faith.

Consider the prophet Jeremiah's rhetorical questions in our daily text: "Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers?"  Of course they don't. With all of our technology man's various attempts to influence weather have been absolutely puny.

"No, it is you, O LORD our God" wrote Jeremiah. The Psalmist wrote, "He covers the sky with clouds; He supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills" (Psalm 147:8). The prophet Zechariah reminds us, "Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone" (Zechariah 10:1).

Jesus expresses this concept of common grace when He told His listeners that God "causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45).  And the apostle Paul in an evangelistic appeal at Lystra said, "Yet He has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy" (Acts 14:17).

Our main text ends with this incredible assurance and the main theme of our message today, "Therefore our hope is in You, for You are the one who does all this". Today the immutable God is still at work controlling nature and everything else in all His creation.

"Our hope is in You". With all the uncertainty in our nation, in the world and in our own individual lives may these five words bring assurance to your heart today.

In times past God has ordained periods of drought to come and remind mankind Who's really in charge and certainly a drought or some other form of judgment could certainly happen again and actually may already be happening.

Let us all "praise God from whom all blessings flow" and acknowledge, with Jeremiah, the absolute source of our hope this day and every day. "Therefore our hope is in You".

B e encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13