[Please join me in praying for the Church on Sundays this year.]
“[God] performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside.” (Job 5:9-10 NIV)
Rain. Our area of the world is very physically dry right now. I went back through weather statistics and we’ve had one inch of rain in the last month and two inches in the last two months – very much below normal for us. In many places the grass is dry and seemingly dead – abnormal for this time of year. I expect the farmers and gardeners in this area are needing, hoping for, and praying for rain. Our physical bodies need God’s water, but so do the animals and plants around us. Everything is thirsty right now.
“The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads. Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.” (Jeremiah 14:4, 22 NIV)
Our world needs spiritual rain, too. One login to the news website to see “what the crazy people are doing today” can quickly lead to a bewildering and overwhelming feeling of chaos, disgust, wickedness, and hopelessness. So many areas of our world seem to be so far from God’s good intentions for the world. As always, there are pockets of beauty, goodness, and Truth and Light here on earth. But we need an outpouring of God’s Spirit, Truth, Light, and Word. We need an outpouring of the Rain of the Spirit.
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11 NIV)
Physical rain achieves the purpose of bringing physical life to plants and animals. Spiritual rain brings spiritual life to spirits and souls. God gives both physical rain and spiritual rain. Today, let us pray that the Word and Spirit of the Lord would be poured out like abundant rain on tender hearts, and that our physical world would receive the rain it needs.
We praise you, God. It is good, fitting, and pleasant to praise you. You have determined the number of the stars and call them by name, just as you have created each of us and call us by name. You build up your Church, gathering prodigals, healing the brokenhearted and wounded, placing the lonely in families, releasing spiritual prisoners, and inviting each of us into the Abundant Life in Jesus Christ. You are great, Lord, and mighty in power. You cover the sky with clouds and supply the earth with rain. God we need rain. Our physical earth desperately needs rain right now. We pray in the name of Jesus for you to send clouds with gentle, healing, refreshing rain for this dry and parched land. Put out the wildfires and purify our air. And we know that our spiritual world desperately needs the rain of your Spirit. We need spiritual cleansing from the wickedness, evil, and demonic forces that are attacking and influencing this world. We pray in the name of Jesus that you will pour out your Spirit on young and old, men and women, members of local churches, and believers who are a part of the greater Church. We pray you will send dreams, visions, prophecies, healing, signs, and miracles, and that all of this will point to you – the Giver of All Good Gifts. We pray you will delight in your children who fear you and put our hope in your love, but give us holy boldness and spiritual strength to push back the powers of darkness. We rejoice in you who are faithful to give abundant spring, summer, and autumn rains – both in the physical and in the Spirit. Rain on us, Holy Spirit. AMEN.
“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” (Deuteronomy 32:2 NIV)
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:7 NIV)
“God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” (Hebrews 2:4 NIV)
“Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.” (Joel 2:23 NIV)
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” (John 10:10 AMP)
“God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.” (Psalm 68:6 NIV)
“Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
The Lord sustains the humble
but casts the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (Psalm 147:1-11 NIV)
“And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors
whom the Lord calls.” (Joel 2:28-32 NIV)