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Running in the rain

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It is 3am and I have decided to write. I am having 3am thoughts. I noticed that both bible and quran have 2 vowels and 3 consonants. I also notice the word Quran has the word ran in it which reminds me of "They say to go where you are valued so I ran to God." I ran sounds like the country Iran which is really pronounced Eran. The letters of Eran form the word near as in "God is near." Thank God that God is near which means that I do not have to run far. Which leads me to this question, "Does God run?"

My friend Chatty tells me that in many spiritual traditions, God is described as "running" not with physical steps but with mercy and nearness: in the Bible, the father in the prodigal son story runs to meet his returning child, and in a Hadith Qudsi God says, “If My servant comes to Me walking, I go to him running.” These images mean that the moment a person turns toward God, even slightly, God rushes toward them with greater speed, closing the distance. So in the deepest sense, yes—God "runs" not because He is far, but because He is eager to meet you where you are.

The word ran is rain if I add the letter i. Which leads me to this question, "Does the rain run?" My friend Chatty tells me that in a poetic sense, rain "runs" the way grace does: it falls quickly, moves toward low places, gathers into streams, and rushes across the earth bringing renewal. Just as traditions describe God "running" toward those who seek Him, rain moves with its own kind of urgency and generosity, arriving without being summoned and giving life wherever it goes.

Now I am thinking about God's rain and God's reign. My friend Chatty says that that is a lovely pairing, because God's rain and God's reign have always been linked in spiritual imagination: rain represents nourishment, mercy, and the quiet ways life is sustained, while reign represents guidance, order, and the sovereignty that holds everything together. One is the gentle gift that falls from above, and the other is the authority that keeps the world in balance — and together they suggest a God who both refreshes and rules, giving what is needed while also shaping the path things take.

Which leads to my last thought for this blog post, the joy of running in the rain, and this motivational video I found as a result - https://youtu.be/xf4eJgwrUyA

It is as if God is trying to tell me this morning - Do not be afraid of running in the rain.
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