Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Healing Rain


Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone.  Zechariah 10:1

Beneath my bare feet, the earth is cracked open and dry, clumped into rock-hard pieces.
Deep lines split the soil from one end of the garden to the other.
In my uttered prayers, I find myself feeling much like the soil on which I stand.
Cracked. Dry. Parched.
Wishing and praying for that deep, soaking rain to brew up and wash over my soul, reviving the words inside my heart and the vision wrapped in my mind's eye, hoping that the flood of water would fill the cracks and soften new fertile soil to bear deep, rich fruit.
And, in my prayer, as I see the dry, parched earth in a new way, I am thankful, again, for the Gardener who waters my soul even in seasons of drought.
Healing Rain
“Like dry, hardened soil, I need to let the Word of God gently rain on my parched soul
so that I am able to soak in every drop.”
-Dr. James Emery White, Founding and Senior Pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church
Have you ever come to that place in your life where you feel like the land looks during a dry season?  Perhaps you have found yourself cut off from the flow of God’s refreshing rain.  You may have stopped praying, stopped spending time in His Word, stopped fellowshipping with believers, yet you know in the back of your mind that something’s got to change.  Your soul feels parched, dry and desolate.  Maybe you are experiencing physical drought, emotional drought or spiritual drought.  Possibly even all three.  You have hit rock bottom and the well is dry. 
Our souls can so easily become parched and dry like the hard, cracked ground.  Circumstances in life can cause us to neglect the care of our soul.  We fail to water like we should with living water from the Holy Spirit.  We fail to make the journey to the fountain to be filled.  Whatever the reason is that we neglect our soul’s condition – sin, anger, bitterness, depression - God’s healing rain can bring the refreshing touch of grace.  It will soak our souls and quench the desperate thirst.  Like spring’s rain brings new life, God’s healing rain can soften our hearts and bring new fruit to bear in our lives along with healing.
Reflect on the words of the song Healing Rain that Michael W. Smith sings:
Healing rain is coming down
It's coming nearer to this old town
Rich and poor, weak and strong
It's bringing mercy, it won't be long
Healing rain is coming down
It’s coming closer to the lost and found
Tears of joy, and tears of shame
Are washed forever in Jesus’ name
What are you thirsty for today? What area in your life needs refreshment and healing that only Jesus can satisfy and meet?  God’s healing rain is just a breath away.  Call on Him now.
Scripture to Claim:
So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.  Hosea 6:3

Devotional Archive