The Lesson of the Rain Barrel

I remember watching Gun Smoke as a kid.  Every day Matt Dillon was on some new adventure, chasing a band of marauders, foiling the plans of a master criminal, keeping Miss Kitty, Doc, Newley, Festus, Sam, and the rest of Dodge City free from the threats of the nefarious outlaws that plagued upon the good people of that city.  I loved it when Marshal Dillon reluctantly pulled his pistol to make sure justice was done.  The good guy always won and the bad guy always lost.  

But there was something in every one of those episodes that went unnoticed.  As a matter of fact, these items were everywhere. They dotted the main street of Dodge City, they were found in front of and behind the various businesses in Dodge, and each household had at least one. In fact, no one would be caught in Dodge without this item. The item, as indicated by today’s title, was a rain barrel.

A rain barrel, so what?  What could that possibly have to do with the Scriptures?  And who even uses those things anymore and do they still exist?  These are all good questions and I can answer each of in turn.  Yes, rain barrels are still made and they are still in use.  My parents have two for their home as a means of staving off the rising cost of water.  They have several trees and plants that require a lot of water so they’ve decided to use the water God sends as rain to make sure their plants have what they need when the weather is hot and dry.

As far as the Scriptures are concerned, we need look no further than the first book of the Bible to learn the lesson of the rain barrel.  In Genesis 41:56 we read, “When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.”  Please look with me as we learn a great lesson from God’s word today.

From the story of Joseph we learn a great biblical truth. The last few words of this passage tell us that the conditions in Egypt were not always pleasant.  Famine and drought plagued the land so that no food stuffs would grow.    Pharaoh had dreamed about this famine and had entrusted Joseph with caring for Egypt’s grain during the time of plenty so there would be food during the time of famine.  Joseph had done all Pharaoh required of him.  He stored 20% of Egypt’s grain for a seven-year period.  There was so much grain that he stopped keeping official records.  But in time of need, the food was there.

Joseph was a good steward of God’s blessing.  He lived in God’s provision when times were good and when times were bad.  Joseph’s faith and his faithfulness never wavered.  He trusted the Lord when there was plenty and he trusted Him when there was little.

I fear that Christians today have forgotten this principal.  We never expect times to get difficult and we always expect God’s blessings to bring about prosperity.  But if you read our passage very carefully you will see that there was a great famine in the land, a famine that lasted 7 years.  And through all those years, Joseph lived in God’s provision and made sure there was enough to eat, not only for Egypt, but for those countries around it as well.

The rain barrel has but one purpose, to collect water to be used when water is scarce.  Oh that we would learn this in our Christian walks.  In times of great joy, in times of great blessing, in times of great strides in our Christian walk, let us learn to store up faith so that when the famines of life come—and come they will—we can draw from that faith and live in God’s provision no matter the circumstances.  Have you learned the lesson of the rain barrel today?