Tuesday, June 21, 2011

LORD Send The Rain

rain1

 

The area I live in, the Great Plains of the US, more specifically, the Panhandle of Texas, is in the worst drought of recorded times. We have been 130 days without rain. One can’t help think about the droughts and famines of the Bible. This drought is of Biblical proportions.

I started with the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 16:29-17:1. King Ahab was on the throne and did “evil in the sight of the Lord.” King Ahab had set up temples and altars for the god Baal, as well as carved images of him. The Prophet Elijah had warned him that he was going against the covenant with God and that there would be judgment and punishment.

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.’ “    1 King17:1 (NIV)

The conditions of our country makes me question “Why are we suffering from such a drought?” The drought of King Ahab’s time lasted three years! Will we have to suffer such a fate? What is God trying to teach or tell us? We may not have a carved image as Ahab did, but do we have idols that we put before God? I think we would have to answer “Yes.” God’s Word is clear that we are to put nothing before him, yet we do. It’s easy to rationalize our “idols.”  Such as “I really need to work on my computer.” I know I spend many more hours on my computer than I do spending time with the Lord. What about TV time? Do you put your family before God? Work? The list can go on and on. That’s just one of the commandments we break.

What about murder? Does abortion qualify as murder? God’s Word says in Jeremiah 1:5  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;” (NIV) Seems pretty clear to me that if God “knew” you before you were formed, then you had to have been more than a mass of tissues and blood. I believe abortion is murder and we as a nation have killed a whole generation of children. We will have to answer for that.

I also think of the sexual immorality of America. The commonality of homosexuality, adultery, indecency, immodesty and pornography. God must be saddened. I think it’s time for some major soul searching.

Jeremiah 14:1-7 is a passage about the drought in Jerusalem.m
”This is the word of the LORD to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
"Judah mourns,her cities languish;they wail for the land,and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water;they go to the cisterns but find no water.They return with their jars unfilled;dismayed and despairing,they cover their heads.  The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land;the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads.  Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn because there is no grass.  Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights and pant like jackals;their eyesight fails for lack of pasture." Although our sins testify against us,O LORD, do something for the sake of your name.For our backsliding is great;we have sinned against you.”
(NIV)

Sound familiar? Seeing any correlation or similarities between our drought and the land of Judah’s?  I do. Maybe it’s time we all repent. Pray for Israel. Ask for God’s guidance and forgiveness. Spend some time on our knees or better yet prostrate before the Lord and then maybe  . . . . He’ll send the healing rain.

1 comment:

Linnie Sanderson said...

This is so true! II Chronicles 7:14 says "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." I don't see a lot of people who are very humble anymore, and its hard to tell the
Christians from the unbelievers by the lifestyles they are living. God must be very hurt by all this.