Let It Pour
"The Lord shall open unto thee His good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in His season, and to bless all the work of thine hand…."
Deuteronomy 28: 12
King James Version
EXPLORATION
"Let It Pour" "Let It Pour"
"Down it came, the blessed deluge. The music of rain splashing on tents and tin sheds drove men to an ecstasy of rejoicing. They turned out to cheer; lifted up their faces and opened their mouths to drink the bright drops; danced around, hallooing and shouting, getting drenched in the downpour; rain filled all the dams and banks and potholes. Every gully was a rushing torrent; water lay flashing and shining on depressions on the flat land and away through the bush."
Katherine Susannah Prichard
What specific portion of my life needs an outpouring of the blessing of God's showers from above?
"Ask ye of the Lord rain – so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain."
Zechariah 10: 1
King James Version
INSPIRATION:
"I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number: Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields."
Job 5: 8-10
King James Version
Yesterday, as Jim and I returned home from Phoenix, we hit an Arizona "cloudburst" as we traversed the Interstate. Large drops of water poured down from a single, huge thundercloud above us, while in other areas close by, the sun continued to shine.
It was obvious when we arrived at home that the same storm we encountered on the road, had dumped a great deal of rain on our house.
In fact, the spouts on the roof still had water pouring out of them.
As I stepped out of the car, I took a big breath of air – because there's nothing that smells as refreshing as a good rain. Everything looks better and smells fresher. It's as though the torrent of water has washed everything clean.
Have you ever, in your life, felt as though you needed a "cloudburst" to purify and refresh you? I know I have. Water has such a cleansing and enlivening effect, not only on humans but plants and animals as well.
Our text today from Deuteronomy 28, which focuses on heavenly blessings, lists the rain as part of the treasure of blessings you and I receive everyday.
Perhaps this is why in Jesus' ministry on earth, He talked about the words He shared as "water on dry ground." To the woman at the well, Jesus' words were a spring of life bubbling up continually. Around 350 A.D., Cyril, a teacher in Jerusalem penned these words: "Why did Christ refer to the grace of the Spirit under the name of water? Because through water, all plants and animals live. The rain comes down from heaven, and though it comes in one form, its effects have various forms; yes, indeed, one spring watered all of paradise, and the same rain falls on the whole world, yet it turns white in the lily, red in the rose, and purple in the violet."
Maybe you have recently felt as though your life has been dry and parched – a lot like the Arizona desert. I'm certain this is how Job felt after losing his children and possessions and enduring a case of boils. In spite of the trials Job faced, his admonition is strong and clear: "I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause." Then, in the midst of all the trauma that had befallen him, Job praised God for His unsearchable greatness. Furthermore, he delighted in the refreshment, poured like rain, down into those dry, cracked, desert-like areas of his life. As Matthew Fox so eloquently observed, "One is refreshed in this desert1"
I encourage you to take a deep breath today and enjoy the drops of rain on your face – sent to bring new life. Blessings poured out from an unending, heavenly "cloudburst," that gives life to those withered places which are causing you to hurt right now.
"Surround of rainbows,
Listen-
The rain comes upon us.
Restore us."
Meridel Le Sueur
AFFIRMATION
"There shall be showers of blessing;
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Saviour above.
There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.
There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing;
Come, and now honor Thy word.
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead."
Daniel W. Whittle
Your friend
Dorothy Valcárcel, Author
When A Woman Meets Jesus
Available May 2009
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