Just standing in the rain (but not by myself)

My favorite movie is "Cool Hand Luke" filmed in 1950 staring Paul Newman.  In the scene below Luke stands in the rain looking for God, but decides he is all on his own.  This is NOT my experience.



Not too long ago I spent some time reading about Mother Teresa.  She had an extraordinary life, but what was very unexpected was that she spent decades of her life writing in her journal that she did not feel the presence of God.  She was tormented by the lack of feeling Him, even in the midst of her mission.

I have a strong relationship with God through Christ my Savior, but honestly I rarely feel the presence of God.  I am often hear God through scripture, music, pastors, or other Christian people in my life; but it is rare that I hear God or feel Him directly.  I am not too often overwhelmed by His presence.  I pray often that God would give me the gift of His presence, but He does not.  A few months ago during my prayer time I told God that I would quit asking to feel His presence, and I would follow Him solely out of faith.  If that makes me have something in common with Mother Teresa, I would see that as an honor.  

Last week I was serving at Camp Arimenta, a Gulf Atlantic Diocese summer camp for 4^th-8^th graders.  My responsibility was to organize the games/activities and to lead the Flight Crew (a group of 9^th and 10^th graders who are the camp servants).  On the fourth day of the camp I had an hour off, and I decided to walk to the river and join a group of adults and campers who had been canoeing and had taken a break to swim.  After a half hour,  it was time to start heading back for lunch.  As soon as we hopped out of the water a few drops of rain began to drop.  Everyone except me walked back to their canoes to paddle back.  I grabbed my stuff and headed back down the quarter mile path.  As soon as I reached the beginning of the path, it began to pour.  As I continued it rained even harder, the biggest downpour I have ever been caught in.  After a few more steps, God showed up.  I have no idea how to put this in words except to say that God was in the rain, and He was pouring over me.  I immediately put my hands in the air and started praying out loud.  God showed His presence to me and He was all around me, overwhelming me.  I want to write something that explains what was going on during my 20 minute walk with God, but I can’t.  I guess if I could explain it with words then it would not have been God.   

Later that evening I was leading the program time with the Flight Crew, and I asked two questions of each of them:

1. Where did you see God today?
2. What was your favorite part of the week?

One person after another answered one of the two questions by saying they felt God in the rain.  Half way through I stopped the answers and with a surprised look on my face I asked, “Did everybody feel God in the rain?"  I saw tears in the students' eyes as almost every hand was raised.  As the day went on I heard testimonies of nearly 30 people who had the same experience as I did.

I am not really sure how to unpack my experience in the rain, or with my time talking with people who had similar experience with me.  I am only able to say thank you to God, and I consider His revealing of Himself to me in a tangible way an awesome gift.