For many of us in the U.S., I’m afraid it’s time to break out the old song, Singing in the Rain to put a spin on all the dreary weather we’ve been having. It seems like it’s been nothing but clouds and rain for weeks now. With even more rain in the forecast, it’s starting to get depressing.

Oh, for a bit of sunshine.

Really, if the weather has you down lately, you are not alone. Studies have actually shown that for many people, there is a relationship between weather and mood. Specifically, more sunshine, higher temps, and higher barometric pressure have all been shown to be related to better moods. Makes complete sense to me!

To help fight off the blahs brought on by yucky weather, here are a few thoughts to encourage:

More often than not in the Bible, rain is considered a blessing from God – not judgment. When Jesus said the Father sends “rain on the just and the unjust” (Matt. 5:43-45), He didn’t mean it in a bad way. Rain was synonymous with grace falling from the sky. For people living in that time and place, rain was a good thing. They partied when it rained because, for the most part, they lived in a dry and barren desert.

So, to illustrate a point about loving our enemies, Jesus explained that God shares the blessing of rain and sunshine with everyone – not just the people who worship him. The same rain that waters the believer’s garden, waters the unbeliever’s garden, too. Rain, as Jesus saw it, represents the kindness of God. Something to think about as you put on your rain boots again today.

Weather, particularly the harsh kind, reminds of the power and sovereignty of God. Job talked a lot about the weather, particularly clouds. Of the 55 times the word “clouds” appears in the Bible, 11 of them are in the book of Job (20% ). Is that a coincidence, or were the skies very cloudy during Job’s season of devastation? I think it’s fairly safe to say that Job didn’t see sunshine for quite a while, literally or figuratively.

Still, to reassure Job while he was traumatized from all of his losses, God pointed to the elements and weather as proof that He was still in control, even though it didn’t seem like it to Job (Job 38:25-28). To underscore the point, God asked Job rhetorically, “Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew?” Yes, at least one good thing about bad weather is that it reminds us who is really in control.

Clouds give us a reference point for the vast dimensions of God’s character. When there has been no sunshine for days on end, clouds are the last thing we want to see. But on the positive side, clouds do serve a helpful purpose. In the psalms, for example, clouds are often used as illustrations to help us with the hard-to-grasp dimensions of God’s love and faithfulness. Like this one,

  Psalm 108:4 – For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Most of us would prefer to see the sun today, but if there are clouds up there instead, we can let them be a reminder of the high and lofty dimensions of God’s love and faithfulness. Eventually, the weather will change, but the character of God will not.

If the weather is bad today, may these truths lift your spirits. And by the way, the long-term forecast is really good. Jesus reigns : )

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.