The Kinneret: Why Israelis Thank God for Rainy Days

If you trace the food chain backwards, all food comes from the ground and it needs rain to grow. Is rain a good thing or a bad thing? Yes, both. Naturally, a lack of rain dries up the crops and can lead to a serious food supply crisis, but too much rain damages or washes away plants. Only an adequate amount of rain in its seasons is a blessing.

Throughout modern Israel’s history, water has remained an immensely precious resource; Israel, after all, is a Middle Eastern country and most of our land is desert. But more importantly, during the nearly two millennia long exile, the land of Israel suffered profoundly from desertification.

The level of the Kinneret has long served as a visible reminder of Israel’s dependence on rain. When the rains are plentiful, the lake rises, water reserves are renewed, and the land is refreshed. When rainfall is scarce, the falling waterline becomes a sign of concern. For many Israelis, watching the Kinneret rise is therefore more than observing a natural process; it is a tangible picture of God’s provision and of rain as a blessing upon the land.

Many people around the world are either disappointed by or apathetic about rain. It can ruin outdoor plans, make for lousy driving conditions, or it could be just plain depressing.

Israelis are the same way, except that they constantly remember that rain is a blessing, and that thought can help override disappointment. It is goodness that God “rains” down which promises a fruitful and prosperous growing season.

Rain is a blessing from God, but it is actually an object lesson, too. Doesn’t God send rain on the righteous and on the wicked? This shows that God loves His enemies, and so we are called to do likewise.

Join us in blessing God for sending sustained blessings to Israel in the form of rain, especially during this record-breaking year, but also let rainy days remind you to be like our Father in Heaven and love your enemies as He does.