Daily Devotions |
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 |
Former or Autumn Rain
Latter or Spring Rain
do the work to reap the reward. I believe the latter rain is God promising to do his part when we are at work reaping what we have sown.
The latter rain comes to restore the soil after the crops have been harvested. It is an insurance that the soil will continue to bear good fruit. Imagine if you had a great harvest but then didn't replenish the land so that the prosperity would continue. You'd be left with a blessing that would only last so long. The spring rain or the latter rain was the rain that came to show that God's blessing would continue. Many studies of the former and latter rains have compared the two in a historical sense; The former representing the first coming of Christ or the Old Testament; the latter representing the second coming of Christ, the rapture, or the New Testament. I won't make speculations about those comparisons. But, I will say this. The promise of the latter rain just means one thing to me; God's blessing will continue to flow. I know that for some more mature Christians that this season of rain is less about God sending the rain for the seeds we have planted but more about a season of restoration. The latter rain is what many of us need. We need the Lord to step into our present day hand give us a refreshing of his power in our lives. God has what we need to step into 2017 with grace for the tasks at hand, but also what we need to be restored from the work we have put forth for the Kingdom. I'm in expectation of God's outpouring. I have the sound of great rain in my ear. I am ready for the showing of God's hand; rather it be the former or the latter. The second passage we looked at is the day of Pentecost. God dealt with his people through the Spirit. The passage explains the first example of God pouring out on his people after Jesus' ascension. Though the word rain is not used, every description aligns the presence of God on that day to the rains. I won't declare any conclusions on whether that outpouring was the former or the latter rain. But one thing is clear: God rained! It is my prayer that we won't get caught up on differentiating God's outpouring because we have an understanding of these two rains now. I hope that this explanation helps you to see that it doesn't matter which rain God sends but that his rain is the chief concern. Pray this prayer with me. Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank you that you connected divine movements to naturally processes so that I can have a greater understanding of your work in my life. I thank you that, like the rain, you can be a restorer, replenisher and conduit for my growth. Father, today I pray for rain! Send your anointing like you did on the day of Pentecost. Pour over my life, my home, my family, my city with your power. I trust your plan. I submit to your will. And I receive your rain.
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About the ChallengeThe 100 Days of Excellence challenge is a 100 day journey to completely rearrange the course of your life. It is about seeking the thrown of God to hear what his plan is for our lives. It is a commitment to carry out every action in your future in the spirit of excellence. Archives
December 2016
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