I was in Michigan this week to visit with my mom and to help her prepare for hip replacement surgery. She will not be able to bend more than 90 degrees and required some rearranging of house hold supplies, plus a bit of shopping. Even with her knee newly replaced 6 months ago and her hip NEEDING to be replaced, we enjoyed our shopping and more importantly, the swimming. She has a built in pool which is great for physical therapy, and also great for daughters visiting from Chicago with the dogs. They love the water. Our big Chocolate Lab doesn't even wait for an invitation, he just jumps in with abandon. Our little "hot dog" is much more reticent. However, he did discover a new game. While floating on a raft, he now has learned to play a combination volley ball and baseball game. For those who know Pedro, yes, it involves a ball. But it was cute rather than anoying. My mother and I laughed so hard that we cried. I was thinking of how the big guy threw himself into the water and how the little guy spent hours playing volley ball. I was also remembering how my mother and I laughed without reservation. I think that is the way to live. Totally giving yourself to whatever it is that God has for you. Giving yourself without reservation to enjoy the things that God has prepared for you. Living water...let it pour.
Picture…a torrential downpour; a rain that is coming down so hard you cannot see a foot in front of you. The rain begins to form a stream and within moments the stream becomes a raging river that sweeps everything in its path.
Hear…the Lord say, “I want to open the floodgates of Heaven and pour my Spirit into your life. I’m not interested in giving you a gentle mist that is sweet and comfortable. I want to pour out my Spirit in a flood of water, a torrential rain that washes away every pain, every difficulty, and every frustration. There are times when I need you to partner with me in change. There are times when your actions will determine my own. But today, at this very moment, I need nothing from you but your permission. Tell me whether or not you want me to drastically altar the landscape of your life. If you let me, I will. If you are fearful and you do not want the move of My Spirit in such a life changing way, I will not do it. It’s up to you.”
Consider: This morning I looked outside at dawn and I saw that the ground was wet. It had been raining through the night, a gentle rain that over a period of time soaks the ground. How many of you have ever been out in that kind of rain? I have experienced that gentle misting in Ireland, London, and Hong Kong – it happens worldwide. It’s the type of rain that just refreshes everything and makes it smell new and clean. It’s hard to even tell if it’s raining unless you put your hand out and feel it. But there is another kind of precipitation that leaves no doubt whether or not it’s raining outside. It is a torrential downpour that comes down so hard and fast that it is dangerous to drive. The windshield wipers cannot go fast enough to clear off the window so that you can see where you are going. This type of rain brings with it storm winds so strong and flood waters so strong that the typography of the ground is forever changed. That sounds scary, so most of us prefer the gentle rains that really don’t affect that much change in our lives. We can go to a church service, a small group meeting or have a private time with the Lord and leave that place feeling good but unchanged. We walk away feeling positive because we have spent time with the Lord, but we have the same thought patterns, relationships, and lifestyles as before the meeting. And honestly, some days, that is okay, but not today. Today the Lord wants to pour out His power in such a way that it changes you. It is possible that God wants to change your finances, your relationships, your commitment level, your self-talk, your priorities, your work ethic, or your whole outlook on life. But He is not going to burst through your life without your permission. God is a gentleman and He does not strong arm anyone. If you want radical change in your life, not just some little blessing that has not affect in your life three days from now, ask Him!Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him! Then he will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring."Hos 6:3 NLTAsk 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.Zech 10:1 NIV
Pray: “Lord, on one hand I love the idea of your blowing through my life in a radical way to affect change in the very core of who and what I am. But you know that I also like white water rafting and parasailing. I like to explore and experiment and live life a “little” on the edge. That’s one side of me. However, I know that you are aware that there is a whole other side to me that likes to stay home and read books by the fireplace. That side of me is cringing at the thought of what you might want to do in me. So I surrender my fears to you along with my life. Do what you know that I need done. I do trust you. I know that you will only do what is for my best and will bring you glory. Send the rain. Send it in downpours. Do not hold back. Do whatever you need to do in me to make me a healthier and more production Christian. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
Labels: Torrential Rains
Labels: Torrential Rains
posted by pastorc @ 7:26 PM
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