WE NEED RAIN
Verse of the week: Zachariah 10:16
Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.
If you’re from Vancouver like us, you may be sick of talking about rain. But when we talk about rain in church, we’re talking about God’s promise to restore things in your life.
Our theme verse of the week talks about asking God for rain, so he can give us the resources to develop our potential and put freshness in our soul. With God, there is always potential for new life. That’s what week 3 of “Shake the Ground”is all about, coming to the realization that we need rain! Here are three key thoughts on our need for rain:
#1 – God promises rain.
It’s often in the driest moments that God shows that He wants to rain on His people. He promises, and then He delivers. We see this constantly in scripture, such as Isaiah 43:18-21. In these verses, God promises to give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, and drink to His people.
Doesn’t that sound great right now? How many of you feel like you’re treading through the wilderness of life? We need a promise that things aren’t going to stay the way they’ve been, a reassurance that God has seen our dryness and is ready to restore.
God always desires to pour out rain on our souls. But there are key moments, like the one we’re in right now, where God sees the drought – spiritually, emotionally, physically – and He steps in and brings rain. As a church, we’re feeling a stirring, and we’re ready our hearts to make ourselves ready, because God’s about to pour out some spiritual rain.
#2 – Building God’s house builds my house.
The good news is that God promises rain. The challenge is, that rain isn’t always guaranteed. If we look back to the scripture in Isaiah, there are things we have to do – specifically, we need to change our mindset, not “consider the things of old.” If we’re going to move towards spiritual renewal and rain in our soul, there has to be a moment where we stop questioning where God was in the drought and start actively pursuing the new things He wants for us.
Unfortunately, during periods of drought, we can get used to the dryness, or the dust. We have these seeds of potential under the surface, but we need God’s rain to help that potential grow and reveal itself. Living in long periods of drought can keep us down and hopeless. The great news is that our potential is not connected to what we’ve seen in the past – we don’t need to be bogged down by the drought. God has put untapped potential inside each of us, and all we need is rain. So let’s change our mindset so we can receive it.
#3 – Get ready.
Here’s the takeaway: Amidst the dust, there is potential. See, God lets us live at the level of our expectations, so we need to ask for more, for the rain. It’s not just a one-time thing – a flash flood just won’t do. It takes an extended period of time of rain to unlock that potential, to wear down the dust and crustiness in our life.
God wants us to ask! He wants to give us not just a drop, but rivers of water. Are you ready to ask God for impossible things again? He’s waiting.
Make sure to check out the full message here!
