Shedding Light

There is a song that has been on my heart and mind lately. It’s a song, and a band, that my dad introduced me to. The band is called PFR (Pray for Rain), and the song is also called “Pray for Rain.”

I think the most obvious reason that this song has been on my mind is because of the current condition our state is in, experiencing massive drought and historic fires. While I enjoy bright, sunny days, with open blue skies, I dearly miss the rain. Another song that comes to mind, especially during these summer months, is “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” and I personally enjoy the Joan Jett version. The lyrics read, “Have you ever seen the rain, coming down on a sunny day?” New Mexicans and I answer in unison, “Nope, not in a long time!”

I truly do miss the rain. One, because one of my favorite smells in the world is the refreshing smell of rain. Two, because of the sound it makes pouring down against the roof. Three – probably the most important reason right now – because of the moisture it brings to our dry land and the vibrant greenery that comes afterward. For the sake of our forests, Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak, and preventing further devastation to communities, I pray for rain to come.

Another reason that I think the song “Pray for Rain” has been on my mind is because it is about more than literal rain. In the faith community, the imagery of rain is often used to reflect many experiences, such as going through periods of spiritual drought or being purified by the saturation of God’s love and presence. This imagery is present in the Bible as well, which includes many verses about living in lands that are dry, scorching, parched, and weary. David, in the Psalms, also often used this comparison, but he was not talking about literal dry lands or literal water. He was talking about life without God’s love or presence, and how his soul felt dry and empty without Him. David says in Psalm 63:1, “My soul thirsts for you…” The Bible describes the mere presence of God in one’s life as springs of water, water of life, and flowing streams of living water.

This imagery is so beautiful to me, and it’s also what I think about when praying for rain. Obviously, we are praying for literal rain too, because we surely need it. But when I pray for rain, I’m also praying for symbolic rain — a fresh outpouring of peace, love, and truth. This is how I see God’s love — like water that saturates from the inside out, making anything that it touches feel renewed and full of life again. Anytime I am going through a dry season in life, I know I can be still in His embrace and be refreshed once again.

I am praying for this same kind of “rain” to pour down on the citizens of Uvalde, Texas, right now. There are no words to even describe the heartbreak, pain, and horror. I am sure that every time each of us turned on the news, saw the numbers, and saw the pure and innocent little faces, our hearts broke and our tears fell – but this is just a fraction of the magnitude of pure pain and anguish that those families, students, and community members are feeling. These families will never be the same, and they need our prayers. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough, but the Bible says that God is near to the broken-hearted and that those who mourn will be comforted; so we have to do our best to trust that He will comfort in ways that we cannot, even in the midst of this unimaginable tragedy and the years beyond it.

It’s easy to allow ourselves to become numb to the evils of the world. We do this, I’m sure, because it’s hard to grapple with or understand why these things happen. Let me share with you now the words of the song I mentioned at the beginning: “I pray for rain to come and wash away

What has made me numb I pray for a raging storm to drown this in me And the rain comes in the nick of time.”

The pain, evil, and confusion of the world can easily make us feel numb, because it’s just too much to handle or think about. Instead of allowing it to overwhelm and devour us, we have to try our best to continue being a light even in the midst of darkness. It’s understandable that our light would feel dimmed after weeks like last week. It’s understandable that we feel numb in the face of these tragedies that seem to never end. It is okay to have these initial reactions and feelings. But we can’t allow ourselves to stay in that place.

We can’t allow ourselves to grow numb or callous. We have to care. Does it hurt to think about it? Yes. But that’s the beauty of having God by our side. We can care deeply about the issues that break our hearts, but then surrender them to Him in prayer because we know that they break His heart just as deeply, if not more. Our prayers matter and our light matters, even more so during times like these. Caring about these things doesn’t have to mean dwelling on them. We can care, surrender, and trust that God will provide comfort and strength where those things are needed.

Caring can also look different to different people. Whether it’s contacting representatives and senators about our ideas for improvement, donating to organizations close to the tragedy, or writing letters of support to the community impacted, those things make a difference. Or if lifting up a prayer is all that we can do, that is more than enough because there is power in that. So please join me in praying for all of these things – for literal rain for the State of New Mexico to be poured over our land and fires, for symbolic rain of strength and love to be poured over our communities and into our hearts and minds, and for comfort and strength to be given to the citizens of Uvalde, TX, Buffalo, NY, and Laguna Woods, CA.

God bless, Cibola. Kylie Garcia, reporter evaynrikei25@yahoo.com Offic: 505-287-3840 Cell: 505-290-6969