Worship
“I Speak Jesus” by Charity Gayle, featuring Steven Musso
Scripture
“And he said, “Thus says the Lord , ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’ For thus says the Lord , ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your livestock, and your animals.’ This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord . He will also give the Moabites into your hand, and you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”
The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with water.” -2 Kings 3:16-20 (ESV)
Preparing in Faith
These are days of wonder for the Bride of Christ! But in too many moments, we are believing the report of the enemy. It’s time to believe the report of the Lord! Here in North Dallas, we are in a Stage 1 drought, and there are signs posted all over my neighborhood that it’s time to conserve water. But the Lord says to His people, it’s time to prepare for rain! Get expectant, because the rain is coming!
To give some context to this Scripture, the Israelites were facing an enemy, and if you read further in 2 Kings 3, the Lord brought the enemy right into the hands of God’s people. Then, they turned and plundered the camp of the enemy. But first, before they saw their victory, they had to stand in faith and follow the instructions of the Lord! It’s not any different for us right now. The Lord is asking us to stand in faith and believe for what our eyes cannot see. This is the faith-filled inheritance of sons and daughters!
Dig ditches, people of God! Prepare for the miracle that is coming, and praise Him that it is already done! What is the miracle you are believing God for in the remaining part of 2022? What do you need to see Him do personally? Take a metaphorical shovel and dig the ditch so the provision of the Lord may fill it.
God is still the God of the miraculous! When the Israelites awoke, there was the water, flowing through the ditches they had dug until all the land was saturated with flowing water! They prepared the land to see a move of God! They rested, and in their rest, God was working!
Finding Rest in God’s Faithfulness
Do you find yourself striving and stressing as you wait? Can you quiet yourself and rest in faith that God is working behind the scenes? Confess your faith and trust. Make that your declaration today. Do you need Him to give you faith and trust? Ask Him for it. He’s a good Father, and He’s pleased to answer you and supply what you are lacking.
“I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.” -Zechariah 9:10-12 (ESV)
I believe with all of my heart that we can have a move of God in our nation and across the globe. We can have the waters of revival cover our land. He longs to give this to His people and to bring those far from Him in as sons and daughters. But as you see, God responded to His people who had prepared the ground. He responds to our responding to Him. That’s the intimacy of relationship and partnership! Would you ask God to take you deeper into His heart for your situation, for this nation, for the lost, and for a specific nation? Perhaps you cry out for the Church, or for America, or for a particular nation you serve and love. Ask the Lord to take you deeper into His heart for these things to transform how you think, what you believe, and how you pray.
Biblical Promises of Spiritual Renewal
This can be your memorial moment for 2022, as you “dig a ditch” for your miracle or for the deep things of God you contend for! Get ready to see God move in the things you are praying and interceding for. The rain is coming, dear brothers and sisters, so let’s get the field ready for a move of God! And get your hopes up, He’s never failed you yet!
“Therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” -Isaiah 29:14, ESV
Let’s expect an outpouring in an even greater measure!
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” -Isaiah 44:3, ESV
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” -Acts 2:17-18, ESV
In the same way we are going to see the latter rains of the Spirit of God for the sake of billions who do not yet know Him, He is going to rain down on His people in a unique and glorious way in this end of days. I want to be found with my ditches dug, full of expectation, awaiting the outpouring of His Spirit on those of us marked and consecrated for these last days.
“Yet, to reach the world, the Lord will multiply the graces He supplies the church and take us beyond what the first century knew. He promises to ‘grant wonders in the sky above.’ The word ‘grant’ implies that these attesting signs are not expressions of God’s wrath, but answers to prayer! Thus, we should expect spectacular wonders in the heavens that arrest the attention of every soul on earth.” -Francis Frangipane, “God’s Heart for the Lost”
A Call to Prayer
These days aren’t for the faint of heart—we can all agree on that. Nor can we give an extra exhale of air to anything contrary to the worship of Jesus. We will run this race to the finish line, with our eyes laser-focused on our prize—Christ Jesus. May we be found, as the eyes of the Lord look to and fro, as people who have been made ready to carry our last assignments before the return of Jesus. It’s time for busyness and distraction and bondage to cease, in the name of Jesus. It’s time for these “prisoners of hope” to return to the safe harbor of the Lord, so that we don’t give up or give in. Fill our buckets and our ditches and our Spirits with an outpouring of rain from Heaven so that we live and operate in the abundance and fullness of Christ Jesus!
“Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.” -Zechariah 10:1
