In a previous post I wrote about the coming
latter rain. Now it is time to outline the task of the rainmakers.
1 Kings 17:1 says,
"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.'"
Elijah had the power
to stop the rain and start it again, because God had given it to him.
James 5:17 says,
"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."
The rainmakers of
today won't (mostly) have the power to stop the rain. But they can trigger it.
That is because they carry streams of living water within themselves.
Deep calls unto deep
John 7:37-39 says,
"On the last
day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me
and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture
has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke
concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive;
for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not
yet glorified."
We don't need to wait
for a second Pentecost, because God has already given us His Holy Spirit. But we
need to learn to partner with Him in such a way that His presence in us will
will flow out from us like a stream.
Psalm 42:7 says,
"Deep calls unto
deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
all Your waves and billows have gone over me."
It is the same water
that flows from the inner being of a rainmaker that he or she is used to that
releases the rain. They understand the dynamics of the rain, as it is the
dynamics of the Holy Spirit they are accustomed to.
They know the Holy
Spirit, and more importantly, the Holy Spirit is able to work through them. Water is their element. As is the fire.
John 20:22 says,
"And when He had
said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"
The disciples had
already received the Holy Spirit before the Pentecost. At the Pentecost, deep called unto deep, and
the Holy Spirit within them released His fullness.
Water of tears
But there is one
vital ingredient missing in our teaching about the Latter Rain.
Psalm 126:5-6 says,
"Those who sow
in tears shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come
again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with
him."
It is impossible to carry a great anointing
for a long time without enduring trials first. Those trials soften our heart,
unless we choose bitterness, and make it ready for the perpetual presence of
God. And it is the tears we sow that water the harvest.
In Psalm 56:8 David says,
"You number my
wanderings; put my tears into
Your bottle; are they not in Your book?"
The rainmakers will bring in a great
harvest partially because their tears are precious to God.
Metaphorically speaking, the latter rain
comes when God opens the bottles of tears wept by the generations of saints
over centuries, and pours them down. After all, He has no use for them in
heaven.
There is consistency to God. In a similar
way, it is the blood of the martyrs that will release the end time judgment.
Revelation 6:9-11 says,
"When He opened
the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for
the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a
loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and
avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' Then a white robe was given
to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while
longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their
brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed."
But our tears will
usher in in the second rain! And not the tears of the saints on their own but also
God's tears, for God has wept for mankind a lot more than we could ever do.
Compassion
releases rain
The rainmakers who walk in compassion because
they understand weakness and suffering through their own weakness will be able
to release that second rain into the lives of the suffering and the weak.
Their hearts won't have any hard spots or
bitterness. Instead, they will love even their enemies with the love of God.
The rainmakers will carry the compassion of
Jesus in their hearts, and it is that compassion that will begin to channel the
rain and God's streams.
Some years ago I was perplexed as I observed
God use a minister I knew to have been in a long-term adulterous relationship.
As I watched him, minister I heard the Holy
Spirit say, "The anointing that flows over someone is different from the
anointing that flows through a crucified heart."
John 11:49-52 says about the plot to kill
Jesus,
"And one of
them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, 'You know nothing at
all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one
man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.' Now
this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that
year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation
only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who
were scattered abroad."
The High Priest had an anointing due to his
position, hence he could prophesy. Today there are many ministers like Caiaphas
in our midst. They are used by God due to their position in the Church, and not
because they love God, simply because God needs
to bless the Church.
Thankfully, that's not the limit of what
God can do. The anointing given to those with a crucified heart—those who,
regardless to trial and tribulation, have managed to keep their heart pure and
soft before God and people—is far greater.
That anointing will be the anointing of a
rainmaker in the times of the second rain.
God, let it rain!
0 Comments