Rain or Shine

Yesterday, as I was preparing for my evening run, I noticed storm clouds looming menacingly overhead.  Considering that I had had such success last week at stopping the rain with faith and a prayer, I didn't think too much of it.  I finished stretching and hit the pavement.

Before I was even a quarter of the way into my run, I started to feel a few drops of moisture fall on me.  I ignored it since a few sprinkles wasn't really enough to hinder anything.  Then it started to rain ever so lightly.  I thought to myself that this wasn't right: if I was having faith that the Lord would stop the rain, he should stop it.  Then I got a prompting that explained what was happening: "But if not..."

During the April 2004 General Conference, there was a wonderful talk given by Dennis E. Simmons of the Seventy that has remained one of my favorites ever since (seriously, if you aren't familiar with this talk, go and read it).  The talk references when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were threatened with death if they did not worship the idols of the king. As Daniel 3:17-18 says:

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

These three had faith enough to fear God more than idols and believed that he would save them from suffering death by fire, but even if he did not, their faith was not shaken.

Being reminded of this, I decided that while it would be nice to finish my run in dry weather, if it started raining it would not affect my faith or my testimony.  And rain it did.  I would say that for about half of my run, it was coming down at a nice, solid medium-level of rainfall.  I even heard thunder.  It was not ideal, but my clothes were going to be soaked either way and I didn't feel unsafe at any time during the run.

About thirty minutes after I got home, the rain completely stopped.  It would appear that I needed to learn a lesson.