It rained last night and today. Over three inches fell. It has been extremely dry here in East Texas. My host talked to me about selling some of his cattle due to a lack of grass. His grave concern was turned into joy last night when the Lord sent a gentle rain. It fell heavy and steady for several hours. The thunder kept me from sleeping.
Today at lunch it rained so hard I could not see out the window across the parking lot at the restaurant. Seeing my friend’s countenance and to hear him repeatedly praising and thanking God for the rain blessed my heart. He told me we were looking at a million dollar rain because that is the impact the rain will have on the economy. Over the next days the brownish grass will turn a deep shade of green. Fuller harvest of hay will be cut and baled. Cattle will be better nourished. Vegetables will grow. God’s gentle rain is a blessing.
During this writing/prayer retreat I have given almost every waking hour to praying about revival, writing about revival, or reading about revival. I see God’s gentle rain that replenishes and refreshes the earth, like God’s spiritual rain that revives His church. Both are needed desperately.
By the look of things the church needs revival. The Southern Baptist Convention reported a drop in baptisms last year. Several denominations report drop in membership totals. The nation continues to battle greed by top corporate executives. Marriages are continually under attack. College students continue to drift away from Christ and the church. Same sex marriage is a cancer on society. Things look very bleak. Just like a parched summer pasture thirsty for a gentle rain.
Periodically in history God has chosen to invade time and space and send His gentle rain of revival. Those are special times. I have been reading about several of those visitations over the past several days. I continue to cry out to God to send two different kinds of gentle rain. I pray for physical rain to come in a gentle soaking fashion especially to Gaines County to replenish the land and nourish the crops. I also cry out for spiritual rain to come transform the church, rekindle the hearts of His people and to save the lost.
God is Lord over both. It does not matter what the forecast says. God can send both kinds of rain any time He chooses. I pray He chooses to do both in these days. His resources are abundant. His compassions are new every morning and they do not fail. Therefore, I am confident that I will experience both kinds of gentle rains. I already saw rain while on my prayer retreat. Now I expect it see it back home in West Texas.
It has been a long time since I have been drenched in the spiritual rains of revival. I continue to plead. Like the old song says, “Mercy drops round me are falling but for the showers we plead.” Lord, send gentle rain.
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