Rain Down!

Who can explain the 'why' of worship, the combination of soul and Spirit that produce those amazingly wonderful moments when the Presence of God rains down on us? Yesterday in our prayer time at the Assembly, as I moved from person to person, anointing them and praying for them, He came near and spoke to me, not audibly, but so clearly in my heart - "I love you!" There are not words to describe the mystical experience. Inevitably in those moments, I weep! And so it was as I went to the pulpit to lead in Pastoral prayer. When I opened my mouth to offer praise, I could barely speak, filled up with emotion, eyes welling over with tears - not of sorrow - but because I was overshadowed by the Spirit, embraced by grace. God reaches into the depths of my being in such times and hits the reset switch, turning off the worry, erasing spiritual fatigue, re-centering me in His purposes.

I cannot, and I will not, claim that anything I did caused God to touch my heart as He did. However, I know that there are things that I can do that prepare my heart for the Spirit's work. Peter preaching to the people of Jerusalem in the early days of Christianity, pointed to those preparatory choices saying, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus." (Acts 3:19-20, NIV) A kind of desperation comes over me when I realize that I have, yet again, drifted into spiritual apathy, that I am living carelessly for the things of God. I confess that and turn my attention to Him, in prayer, in worship, cultivating a readiness to receive His grace. And, as I wait, He comes to me gently with His loving renewal.

The Christian life is a great deal like marriage! God, Himself, chose the marriage relationship to illustrate our relationship with Him, calling us the "bride of Christ." In nearly 33 years of being Bev's husband, I have experienced the ebb and flow of love many times. At times we are madly in love and at times we are cool towards each other. We have gone through seasons when we are focused on getting through a shift in our relationship that stresses the marriage. Then, recognizing that we are drifting, we give attention to each other and rediscover the wonder of being soul-mates. It took me a long time to learn to be an attentive husband. As a young man, working at providing for my family, establishing 'my place' in this world, and dealing with my own immaturity, I was not nearly as sensitive to her as I needed to be. Not only did my apathy about our relationship rob her of joy, it also kept me from knowing the profound oneness of heart that is such a source of joy at this stage of our life together. And yet, even today, I am sometimes distracted from loving her by the little things of daily life. How like my walk with God. I know better, but I lose focus on Who He is, What He's done, and Why I exist. But, the promise of knowing His loving Presence, draws me to repentance and renewal.

God wants our hearts, our complete attention. He is unimpressed with all our wonderful work, with our reputation, or with our accumulation of awards. He just wants us to love Him, to focus on Him, to listen to Him, to walk with Him. When we do, He rains down those 'times of refreshing' on us! That doesn't mean that all the difficulties in our lives disappear. I awakened to a whole set of challenges that I will wrestle with this week. I am still very much in this world! But, I am renewed, strengthened to deal with the demands from a place of peace.

Believer, have you drifted into apathy towards Him?
Has a preoccupation with your business, diversions, financial matters, family, or even 'ministry,' distracted you from knowing the love of God?

Here's a promise of the Word. Take it to heart and prepare for 'times of refreshing.'

"I cried out to You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication:
"What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!"

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever." (Psalm 30:8-12, NKJV)
_____________________________

Looks like tonight, the sky is heavy,
Feels like the winds are gonna change
Beneath my feet, the earth is ready,
I know its time for heaven's rain,
it's gonna rain

‘Cause it's living water we desire to flood our hearts with holy fire

Rain down - all around the world we're singing,
Rain down - can you heart the earth is singing?
Rain down- my heart is dry but still I'm singing
Rain down, rain it down.

Back to the start, my heart is heavy
Feels like it's time, to dream again
I see the clouds, and yes I'm ready
To dance upon this barren land, hope in my hands

Do not shut, Do not shut, Do not shut the heavens
But open up, open up, open up our hearts

Give me strength to cross this water
Keep my heart upon your altar (Rain down)
Give me strength to cross this water
Keep my feet don’t let me falter (Rain down)

Rain Down
Words and Music by Martin Smith/Stuart Garrard ©2003 Curious? Music UK