The success of movies such as War Room are evidence that many are, and many more will begin, praying for personal rejuvenation. Many are also praying for corporate revival. God will answer our prayers. Will we recognize it as it comes?
Isaiah 45:8, “Rain down, you heavens, from above, and let
the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth
salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created
it.”
When rain begins to fall, the evidence is first most visible
as it gently impacts with its own element, the surface of water itself. It
creates a ripple effect; gentle circles that grow and flow incrementally into
each other. The effect of falling rain can also be seen as it comes in contact
with surfaces devoid of any moisture, surfaces like parched ground. The same
gentle impact creates an entirely different effect; a miniature mushroom cloud
of dust. This doesn’t ripple out, it simply falls out. In fact, we know that in
excessively dry areas, such as deserts, surfaces actually repel moisture when
first encountering rain. Unless, of course, it is in close proximity to a
collection of water; a pond, stream, lake, etc. As these collections begin to
fill, they begin to grow, slowly expanding their borders, encountering and then
enfolding the parched ground. As rain then subsides and heat returns, it
creates a process we know as evaporation; the movement of water particles back
up into the atmosphere where they are carried and then dispersed in other
places, wherever the weather patterns controlled by wind may carry them.
Through this illustration, I was reminded this morning that
it is my primary purpose to remain available to God through the work of the
Holy Spirit. I am to be part of His element, the collection of those most
receptive to His movement, prepared to ripple and then encounter others who are
receptive, or are becoming so, as the collection itself is more deeply filled.
Others within my collection may ripple before me, or after me, and my response,
even within the collection where I could easily experience His movement for
myself, may be out of residual interaction with the ripple of others. I
experience this frequently when worshiping with my collection, or church
family, through worship, both while we are singing and while we are discussing
His word together. Praise God for the collection where I can both respond to
Him and be encouraged to respond by others’ ripples of experience as well!
While I tend to think of this rain as being directly
received from God via the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Bible actually gives
examples of His chosen people being used to disperse the rain amongst themselves.
Moses states in Deuteronomy 32:1-4, “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, My
speech distill as the dew, as raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on
the grass. For I proclaim the name of the Lord: Ascribe greatness to our God.
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of
truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.” And Job states in Job
29:21-23, 25, “Men listened to me and waited, And kept silence for my counsel. After
my words they did not speak again, And my speech settled on them as dew. They
waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the
spring rain. I chose the way for them, and sat as chief; So I dwelt as a king in
the army, as one who comforts mourners.”
Are you part of a collection so that your ripples can
encourage others or so that you can be encouraged by theirs? Are you yourself remaining
filled?
Next, where has God placed you? What dry soul are you in
proximity to? Are you aware that mere contact with your life, and the hope He
fills you with, can begin to refresh those in proximity to you through no
action other than your presence and the potential resulting interactions?
We don’t need to worry that we won’t have the right words,
as if we have any control in this process at all, God Himself sends the rain at
the right time and will draw others to Himself as He ordains. It is our purpose
to remain in a position to be filled so as to allow the moisture from His
refreshment to seep on into those around us. Many around us are unable to receive
the refreshment He has to offer. As each of us within our collection are filled,
we are each increasingly able to reach into the dry parched areas in closest
proximity to ourselves. We shouldn’t be discouraged when people who have the
most need can’t receive His rejuvenation and hope, they are parched ground and
will be unable to do anything but repel this moisture for a season. He will
create a heart of receptivity at the right time. Finally, He is also both the
heat and the wind that will, as with the process of evaporation, even move some
from this collection on to be distributed in other places of parched ground.
Ultimately I wait for the day that is to come; not just an
indwelling, that may wax and wane due to my connectivity, but an actual
physical dwelling with the source of rain Himself. “He shall come down like
rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth. In His
days the righteous shall flourish. And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no
more.” (Psalm 72:6-7)
