God has been really speaking to me about the rain. I've learned to feel God's presence and grace with every drop of rain. There is purpose and there is peace in the rain, even in a thunder storm's torrential down pour. God has been teaching me and dealing with me in the books of Genesis 6 and 7, the story of Noah. So I am recording all this in two blogs, cause I've received random confirmations that someone, perhaps YOU need to hear of what God has for you with the first drop of rain. Last Sunday evening I was at a weekly prayer meeting and just praying for God to release the rain.
Firstly, he showed me the parallel to be drawn between rain heavy clouds with prayer. As we pray, our prayer rise up to Heaven and they build up. I picture these storm clouds up above, growing heavier an heavier with every prayer we pray, until the moment comes. Until our persistent prayers reach the cloud and the first drop of rain falls… The cloud bursts, a clap of thunder echoes across the spiritual realm-the sounds of God's power coming forth from the throne. Down comes the rain, things in our life shift, prayers are answered, we have encounters with God like never before-the rain clouds release the built up pressure that has been building for days, months, maybe years. However, while this rain is refreshing, it challenges us. While it is answers to our prayers, it means change, change in our spiritual life, and that also means change in our earthly life. It is a season of uncomfortable growth, we might need to be pruned before new buds can grow from this life giving rain. As I was thinking about all this and God was just ministering to me, I hear Genesis 7. So I turn to read
+ Genesis 7:4 One week from today I will begin forty days and forty nights of rain…
That is no mistake; it's a confirmation of what God was already ever so gently telling me. God, I feel, is telling of a coming rain, a coming season of rain. As God was speaking to me about this season of down pour, I began to wonder what brought Noah to that point; to the point of hearing of God's plans, the point of building an arc to float above the waves of crashing change. I turned to Genesis 6 for answers as I asked the Spirit to just speak to me what he wanted me to see and I found some things worth noting.
+ Genesis 6:5-6 Now the Lord observed the extent of the people's wickedness, and he saw that their thoughts were consistently toward evil, Do the Lord was sorry he had made them. It broke his heart.
How much more different could this present generation be from that of old? How wicked we are, how evil our thoughts have become being constantly filled with bitterness, anger, jealousy and lust! When we have a lustful thought, do we think twice about the pain to the HEART OF GOD we are causing? This generation that had developed in Noah's time were breaking the heart of their creator and they didn't-even-know. God makes us conscious of the times we are grieving the Holy Spirit! God open our eyes to see the painful consequences of not just our actions but also our thoughts!
As I read on, I was introduced to Noah. You see in even the New Testament letters that at the beginning of a letter the writer will state their position and name so as to clarify with what authority they write. The main character of this event God had brought me to-Noah enters the scene awash with the favor of God
+ Genesis 6:9 This is the history of Noah and his family…Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on the earth at that time. He consistently followed God's will and enjoyed a close relationship with him.
Do you feel that ache in your stomach at those words…can you help but wonder what scriptures would announce your profile as? Could we dare to hope it would contain such precious words and descriptions as Noah was accredited? The scriptures make it an important piece of Noah's identity that he "was righteous…and enjoyed a close relationship with [God]." Oh if only we could know that we to would be known for our relationship with our Heavenly Father!
It is obvious that he truly had a close relationship as we see in Gen 6:18, God tells Noah of his plans to flood the earth, but he also declares that he will keep Noah safe in the boat. While the flood, the season to come-is violent, painful perhaps- and seemingly unending purifying process, God wasn't going to allow Noah and his family to come to harm in the days to come. In order to get to the point of the flood gates of Heaven being opened up, we better know our foundation is set with God. He is telling us what to do to prepare for this coming season of growth and testing.
+ Genesis 6:22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.
When we build upon our relationship with him, he keeps us safe. We can with stand his purifying process. But we must act in obedience!
Beloved please move in obedience to the Spirit! Prepare yourselves for whatever work, whatever growth, whatever change he has for you. Do not harden your hearts toward the call of the Father to build the ark, to build on your relationship with him in order to withstand a trial, do not harden your hearts toward the pressing of the Spirit to step out in faith and do the unusual. Get ready, the storm clouds are about to release all their pent up pressure. You have so long stood in faith that your prayer were to be answered, wont you now prepare for the stretching that comes with the answers? Beloved-you see the clouds rolling in; you have heard the warning-get ready.
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