No Rain?

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Mexico for a mini-vacation. It was my first trip to Mexico, and
my family and I went to a little beach town called Puerto Penasco, or “Rocky Point”. We had a wonderful time swimming, horseback riding, and banana boat riding. The air was clean and the water was warm and crystal blue. It was fun to practice my Spanish with the local children, vendors and other friendly faces in the community.
Beautiful flowers, green plants, and palm trees surrounded my hotel and other beachfront accomodations. Looking beyond our hotel’s vicinity and beach, I noticed that the land was distinctly different. There were not any trees and hardly any greenery to grace the country. In looking at the barren land, I asked one of the hotel workers, “How often does it rain here?” She replied, “It never rains here.” No rain! No rain falls for the month, week or even a day in the entire year. I wondered how people or anything could survive? The growing and thriving town has plenty of people, animals, plants, schools, banks, restaurants, but no rainfall. God must be providing and intervening for the people of Puerto Penasco.
There is another situation in the Bible were God provided for his children in times of need. God protected and sustained Elijah when there was drought and famine in the land of Samaria. The Lord said to Elijah, “Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink from the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there” (I Kings 17:3, 4). God directed Elijah to a place where he could find shelter, water, and even food delivered by birds! That is an amazing story. Later when the brook dried up, God intervened by leading Elijah to a widow’s home where he could again be sustained.
In my visit to Mexico and the story of Elijah, I can see evidences of how God provides for His children. David said in Psalms 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” We need not fear hardships or lack of the necessities of life. When we follow God, He will bless us and help us through any difficulties we may face.
Ly Lan Nguyen