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Matthew 5 has these words in it, But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Many times when hard times come our way (which we call “rain”) we look for something evil we must have done in order to end up under a deluge of trouble.  Or we say the “enemy” is out to get us.

I don’t believe that.  I see in this verse that we are children of our Father in heaven, a relationship that is sound and secure.  The enemy can’t even get to us. 

If I read this verse at face value, it says to me that we live in the same world as our friends, those who believe and those who don’t.  What sets us apart is not that we never experience rain or sun, but that we are children of our Father in heaven.

The rain will fall at times, but we won’t drown under it because of His watchful eye.  And sometimes the rain that falls – He sends it – because we’re dry and need to have deeper roots and brighter blossoms.

It brings me a lot more peace to know that trials and troubles  might come my way, even sent to me from above, all for the purpose of making me more like Him, than it does to think an old devil is out to get me and I have to keep running and fighting him off.

He causes…He sends…and He’s my Father...so He defends.