Penned by: Erlinda Mejia Olson
On Thursday, 20th of May, 2010 at 9:47AM PST(rainy day)
Posted on Saturday, 12th of September, 2020 at 7:47AM CST(rainy day)
JOHN 4:14 ~ "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
I like it when it rains! There seems to be an air of mystery about its beauty. When the rain falls down I find it rather cleansing and soothing to the soul. It brings out the child-like in me. Reminiscing on the memories I have as a child—when I used to play in the rain with my siblings—running around, giggling, thoughts of life—cool and refreshing like the rain. Unsullied dewdrops of Heaven coming down crisp upon earth unleashing its sweet 'earthyish' aroma.
Then, I found myself sitting down at a nearby café. While I was enjoying every sip of a cappuccino, my eyes gaped on a pavement infront of me. Coffee drinkers alike are coming in and out of this busy café. Suddenly, my eyes halt on every dry crack that breaks wide open.
Empty.
Dispirited ridge sprawled out long and time and again on this paved path. I can picture the strain of a growling earth. Its daily wear and tear shows its scars.
I can empathize the sting of such pain. In LIFE.
The crick of all that is heavy, dark, dirty, dry, and empty, can split us wide open. Hearts spread thin.
Broken.
Pleading.
There is a need to be filled with Heavenly rain. God’s healing touch. With His Holy hand reaching out eternally to bind wounds and place LIFE to our broken ground, our broken hearts, our broken lives. God comes to fill emptiness with love—with every dewdrop of His abounding presence. When we no longer horde our sacred spaces with earthly fillers—God comes in and fills. Extending gifts to us according to His mercy and grace. Christ Jesus, the Lord—our All in All.
He comes.
He fills.
He heals our wounds.
He lives in our hearts filling us up with LIFE … with LOVE. Always.
I am breathing in God’s Heavenly scent—this cleansing flow of raindrops as my feet want to give way to the open spaces of the withered pavement. The image of hurting people, waiting for there time. Their time of healing ... of growth ... of change ... of newness. The need for more of God's rain.
The rain. It’s coming down again. Open spaces sipping it down. As the earth soaked up the rain for its sustenance, so also I too—soak up:
He comes.
He fills.
He heals our wounds.
He lives in our hearts filling us up with LIFE … with LOVE. Always.
I am breathing in God’s Heavenly scent—this cleansing flow of raindrops as my feet want to give way to the open spaces of the withered pavement. The image of hurting people, waiting for there time. Their time of healing ... of growth ... of change ... of newness. The need for more of God's rain.
The rain. It’s coming down again. Open spaces sipping it down. As the earth soaked up the rain for its sustenance, so also I too—soak up:
More of God's rain.
More of His wisdom and discernment.
More of His grace and mercy.
More of His love.
More of His cleansing power.
More of His Word.
I am filled up. Humbled and renewed. Ever more grateful!
I prayed in that moment. Beseeching the LORD for others—to bring healing and newness of heart.
And my scars, though they are still visible, but beautifully healed.
More rain … Let’s get drenched!
~ ISAIAH 45:8 ~
“Rain down, you heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, have created it.
“Rain down, you heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, have created it.
LORD Jesus, what a tremendous blessing to be drenched by Your rain. I praise You for all the unexpected blessings Your rain has brought into my life, as I see and experience them in my own life's journey and in the lives of others. I humbly thank You, in Your name I pray. Amen.
💓💓💓
ILLUSTRATIVE SCRIPTURES:
*Brought about by the condensing of the clouds.
*Brought about by the condensing of the clouds.
Job 36:27-28 ~ "For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist, Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man."
GOD:
*Made a law for.
Job 28:26 ~ "When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt"
*Prepares.
Psalms 147:8 ~ "Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains."
*Gives.
Job 5:10 ~ "He gives rain on the earth, And sends waters on the fields."
*Causes to fall down.
Joel 2:23 ~ "Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month."
*Demontrates goodness in giving.
Acts 14:17 ~ "Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."
*Demonstrates greatness in giving.
Job 36:26-27 ~ "Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered. For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist,"
*Sends upon the evil and good.
Matthew 5:45 ~ "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
*Should be praised for.
Psalms 147:7-8 ~ "Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God, Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains."
*Should be feared on account of.
Jeremiah 5:24 ~ "They do not say in their heart, “Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest."
*Impotence of idols demonstrated in not being able to give.
Jeremiah 14:22 ~ "Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait for You, Since You have made all these."
*Not sent upon the earth immediately after creation.
Genesis 2:5 ~ "before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;"
*Rarely falls in Egypt.
Deuteronomy 11:10 ~ "For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden;"
Zechariah 14:18 ~ "If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles."
*Canaan abundantly supplied with.
Deuteronomy 11:11 ~ "but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven,"
INTENDED FOR:
*Cleansing, refreshing the earth.
Psalms 68:9 ~ "You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary."
Psalms 72:6 ~ "He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth."
*Making fruitful the earth.
Hebrews 6:7 ~ "For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;"
*Replenishing the springs and fountains of the earth.
Psalms 104:8 ~ "They went up over the mountains; They went down into the valleys, To the place which You founded for them."
*Promised in due season to the obedient.
Leviticus 26:4 ~ "then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit."
Deuteronomy 11:14 ~ "then Iwill give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil."
Ezekiel 34:26-27 ~ "I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them."
*Frequently withheld on account of iniquity.
Deuteronomy 11:17 ~ "lest the Lord’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you."
Jeremiah 3:3 ~ Therefore the showers have been withheld, And there has been no latter rain. You have had a harlot’s forehead; You refuse to be ashamed."
Jeremiah 5:25 ~ "Your iniquities have turned these things away, And your sins have withheld good from you."
Amos 4:7 ~ "I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, And where it did not rain the part withered."
THE WANT OF:
*Causes the earth to open.
Job 29:23 ~ "They waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain."
Jeremiah 14:4 ~ "Because the ground is parched, For there was no rain in the land, The plowmen were ashamed; They covered their heads."
*Dries up springs and fountains.
1 Kings 17:7 ~ "And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land."
*Occasions famine.
1 Kings 18:1-2 ~ "And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth." So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria."
*Removed by prayer.
1 Kings 8:35-36 ~ "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance."
*Withheld for three years and six months in the days of Elijah.
1 Kings 17:1 ~ "And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word."
James 5:17 ~ "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months."
DIVIDED INTO:
*Great.
Ezra 10:9 ~ "So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain."
*Plentiful.
Psalms 68:9 ~ "You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary."
*Overflowing.
Ezekiel 38:22 ~ "And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone."
*Sweeping.
Proverbs 28:3 ~ "A poor man who oppresses the poor Is like a driving rain which leaves no food."
*Small.
Job 37:6 ~ "For He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth'; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength."
*The former, after harvest, to prepare for sowing.
Deuteronomy 11:14 ~ "then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil."
Jeremiah 5:24 ~ "They do not say in their heart, "Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest."
*The latter, before harvest.
Joel 2:23 ~ "Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month."
Zechariah 10:1 ~ "Ask the Lord for rain In the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone."
*The rainbow often appears during.
Genesis 9:14 ~ "It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;"
Ezekiel 1:28 ~ "Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord."
*Often succeeded by heat and sunshine.
2 Samuel 23:4 ~ "And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, By clear shining after rain."
Isaiah 18:4 ~ "For so the Lord said to me, "I will take My rest, And I will look from My dwelling place Like clear heat in sunshine, Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest." "
*The appearance of a cloud from the west indicated.
1 Kings 18:44 ~ "Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you' "
Luke 12:54 ~ "Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is."
*The north wind drives away.
Proverbs 25:23 ~ "The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance."
*Unusual in harvest time.
Proverbs 26:1 ~ "As snow in summer and rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool."
*Thunder and lightning often with.
Psalms 135:7 ~ "He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries."
*Storm and tempest often with.
Matthew 7:25 ~ "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.'
Matthew 7:27 ~ "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
INSTANCES OF EXTRAORDINARY:
*Time of the flood.
Genesis 7:4 ~ 'For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made."
Genesis 7:12 ~ "And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights."
*Plague of, upon Egypt.
Exodus 9:18 ~ "Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now."
*During wheat harvest in the days of Samuel.
1 Samuel 12:17-18 ~ "Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking a king for yourselves." So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel."
*After long drought in Ahab's reign.
1 Kings 18:45 ~ "Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel."
*After the captivity.
Ezra 10:9 ~ "So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain."
Ezra 10:13 ~ "But there are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for there are many of us who have transgressed in this matter."
*Often impeded traveling in the east.
1 Kings 18:44 ~ "Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.' "
Isaiah 4:6 ~ 'And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain."
*Often destroyed houses.
Ezekiel 13:13-15 ~ "Therefore thus says the Lord God: "I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. "Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, 'The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it,' "
Matthew 7:27 ~ "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
OF THE WORD OF GOD:
Isaiah 55:10-11 ~ "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
OF THE DOCTRINE OF FAITHFUL SERVANTS:
Deuteronomy 32:2 ~ "Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass."
OF CHRIST IN THE COMMUNICATION OF HIS GRACE:
Psalms 72:6 ~ "He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth."
Hosea 6:3 ~ "Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth."
OF SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS:
Psalms 68:9 ~ "You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary."
Psalms 84:6 ~ "As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools."
Ezekiel 34:26 ~ "I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing."
OF RIGHTEOUSNESS:
Hosea 10:12 ~ "Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you."
OF GOD'S JUDGMENTS (DESTRUCTIVE):
Job 20:23 ~ "When he is about to fill his stomach, God will cast on him the fury of His wrath, And will rain it on him while he is eating."
Psalms 11:6 ~ "Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind, Shall be the portion of their cup."
Ezekiel 38:22 ~ "And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone."
OF A POOR MAN OPPRESSING THE POOR (DESTRUCTIVE):
Proverbs 28:3 ~ "A poor man who oppresses the poor Is like a driving rain which leaves no food."
