It always tickles me and astounds me to see the different means God uses to capture our attention. He is a God who does not usually do things the same way twice.. ever changing and yet His character NEVER changes!
One morning my husband and myself awakened to dreary weather. We live in sunny Florida and we are used to afternoon showers at times and hurricanes along with gorgeous weather. But, on this particular morning, it was so nasty out and the winds were blowing so hard.. It was raining nonstop, with hard pelts slapping against our home. Lightening was striking with loud cracking sounds too. Usually this never bothers me.. I would have been content to lay safely in bed hearing the inclement weather outside and rain on the rooftops and and bask in the moment with some delicious blueberry coffee (my favorite) and an Everything bagel with vegetable cream cheese!!
However, this morning was different. All of a sudden I was paralyzed with fear and trepidation. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of doom and gloom and the noise of thunder grabbed me and I was reminded of the old time churches who used to say if thunder was going on .. it was God's anger being displayed. Wow! Law and legalism sure gives us some crazy ideas, doesn't it??? I had never believed that, but this particular morning I was thinking it might be true. Yikes~ With so much going on in this crazy world today, I would not be surprised with God's anger towards us for sure, I would have never tolerated all our sins... but while pondering that thought, I was also reminded of a story I had heard that penetrated my heart and has become part of my being whenever I get impatient with others at times or even myself. It reminds me to never forget God's grace and patience towards us.
It is a fictional story about a man named Abner who is beside himself with a believer who is just not growing, changing, receiving God's truth, etc.. quite as fast as Abner had desired, so he gets mad and begins to pour out his discontent to God. Maybe he even wants to smack that person with a "wet fish" to wake his friend up to smell the coffee as my girlfriend sometimes says!! God's answer is so simple and life changing.
God says "Abner, I have been long suffering with this person you are talking about for his entire life.... can you not tarry with him for even a short period of time?"!!!!!
That is a good point. God is not angry with us, disappointed, yes... heartbroken that He loves us so and we go our own ways instead of coming to Him.. yes..... Are there consequences of our actions? Absolutely. But, He is not into scare tactics to draw us to Him. He draws us by His love... not a turn or burn gospel. Turn or burn conversions are at best normally just temporary although I know many including myself sometimes are tempted to scare the "hell" out of hardheaded people.... He is not a hard taskmaster. Hallelujah!! God is after our hearts, and the way He wins our hearts and the issues in our hearts which are wicked to the core is through His amazing love.
So, while contemplating all this in my warm cozy bed... I decided to tell my husband my dilemma about this strange fear that had gripped me about God's wrath and the lightening I was hearing that sounded so angry and foreboding outside our home. My behavior and lack of faith was so odd.
He didn't skip a beat and went to the garage and brought this rain stick in and put on some Christian music and began to play this rain stick!!! Now, before all the religious people start sending me letters about how rain sticks are not of God etc.. just relax... rain sticks are used to depict the sound of Godly rain too in Christian music at times too.
My husband Joe began declaring some things, such as, "It was not the Rains of Wrath,
but the Latter Rain, the Rains of Revival"!!!
Immediately that spirit of fear and doom and gloom left me. It was like my eyes were opened and I could see how wrong my thinking had been in regard to the angry storm. I then began to think of a song from Brownsville Revival and also from Misty Edwards at IHOP (International House of Prayer) called "Let it Rain". here are some tube videos of this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTgnkWYnsJI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S484dP8CVi8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXcqPPsz4Q0
As I listened to the song, I was wondering how many other people and believers were feeling the same way about the rains they had been experiencing in their own lives with all the troubles going on in the world, finances, losing homes, economic trauma, bringing floods of hopelessness.
I do believe for sure these are the end days and all these things must happen, they must come to pass ... but in the midst of our troubles, Our God sends good rain in a parched and dry land of our hearts to help us through these times. Many times it happens at the midnight hour when all else has failed just so we KNOW it was only God's hand. Perhaps it will come in a word of encouragement, maybe someone giving groceries, maybe with a prayer that hits home, maybe a surprise monetary gift, or a visit when we felt all alone, or a multitude of others things that let us know that God is still in control and loves us through our difficulties. He comes with His refreshing, cleansing, life-giving Latter rain to help restore our hearts, souls and minds. When we feel like we are in a desert place.... our own wilderness experiences, we need His revitalizing rain to revive and restore us.
While listening to the songs on rain, God began to stir my spirit with a word.. He began to speak to me and I wrote down what was said. The wonderful thing about this whole morning experience was that during the day, I just kept bumping into people either whom I was counseling, or on facebook, or anywhere else I was that day. It surprised me how many people I felt led to share this word with were blessed by His word. I love when God does that.. He takes us through situations so we can share with others.
Here is the word God gave me .. this is one I sent to someone on Facebook whom I did not know.. just felt I was to send it to him...
Hi!
I don’t remember how we became friends on Facebook.. but I used to live in Charleston SC where my late husband and myself pioneered a church. After his death I moved to Florida to be near family.. I am now remarried to a wonderful man and we still live in Florida. I have friends on Facebook and such and I am not sure where and how I met some of them!!
I know we don't know each other except by the spirit, but I have a word for you today...
May our God pour the rains of His spirit upon you today...
May you dance in the rain and be refreshed and drenched in His loving waters of revival..
May your soul rejoice,
May His rain water all the seeds of faith He has planted within your heart,
May they grow and prosper.
Blessings dear one of God, you are loved in heaven and on earth...
Spring forth oh well within your soul.
I am praying for an overflow of His living waters to pour out upon you and those you hold dear
....Holy Hugs... Donna
Given by Inspiration of the Holy Spirit 1/21/11
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