Yesterday, in our devotional I spoke of the two rains in Israel, the early rain and the latter rain. The prophet Joel speaks prophetically of these two rainy seasons in connection with the outpouring of God's spirit:
"Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month;" [Joel 2:23]
Then Joel continues: "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit;" [Joel 2:28-29]
Following the Lord's command to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high, the disciples could not have comprehended what God was about to do. Then, when the Holy Spirit descended upon them, astounding both themselves and all the Jews who had come to Jerusalem for Shavuot (Pentecost), the Apostle Peter explained it, quoting directly from Joel's prophecy [Acts 2:17-18] which speaks specifically in this context of an early rain... and a latter rain.
The Hebrew scriptures often reflect the cyclical/repetitive nature of God's creation. The cycle of the 7 day week, the monthly lunar cycle, the yearly passage of the sun through the heavens, etc. Psalm 23 also describes a cyclical pattern in the Lord's shepherding of His sheep, saying literally, "He leads me in circles of righteousness; the word normally translated as "paths" in verse 3 is literally "circles" ("ma'aglei") in the Hebrew. There are numerous prophetic scriptures which have multiple fulfillments, as well. All of this exemplifies a cyclical or repetitive element in the very fabric of God's story.
In light of this observation, I am anticipating a great move of God similar, or perhaps even eclipsing the events of Pentecost. While this has been a much-debated subject, there are scriptures supporting such a move of God, and complementing my expectation of a repeating cycle of outpouring. "Harvest" (a cyclical event) is one of the main metaphors describing the end of the age and I am believing the Lord's love and power will bring a "latter rain" harvest to this world, culminating what He began nearly 2000 years ago. [see Daniel 12:3].
Anticipating an event inspires us to prepare for it. If indeed, a "latter rain flood/harvest" is impending and the Holy Spirit is seeking wise vessels through whom to pour Himself, our expectation will lead to preparation, purification, and passionate prayer. So be a vessel ready to shine in this world of darkness. We're surely entering a season which we barely understand, just as the Apostles in the 1st century; nevertheless, in faith, we can be expectant and prepared for it.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]When does God answer our prayers? And when do we receive what we ask of Him? And when are we confident He has heard our requests? Many of us wonder why our prayers seem to go unanswered.
A.W. Tozer had an interesting commentary on this verse. He said: "Faith is seeing the invisible, but not the nonexistent."
In the early 1800's a preacher gave a message to call men to join him on the mission field in Africa. In the audience were only a few women along with a boy. The pastor knew that few women were expected to volunteer to face harsh African jungle conditions. However, he gave the message; and no one responded. What he didn't realize was that he had touched the heart of a little boy whose name was David Livingstone. This boy would grow up to spend the rest of his life ministering to Africa's unreached tribes.
The word "verily", in this verse, is the Hebrew word “emunah” (em-oo-nah). It also means "faith" or "faithfully". When we trust in the Lord, and our trust is demonstrated by doing good, He declares that He will faithfully feed us. How will we be fed?
When the apostle Paul wrote this letter to his young student Timothy, he taught him some profound truths that I often apply in my life. I suppose when Timothy received these instructions, he was about my age – a young man still developing his skills at evangelism, teaching and instructing.
A significant response to the current pandemic has been medical professionals in various places offering valuable advice on the role of diet toward building and increasing our body's immunity to viruses and disease in general. This kind of advice can be truly salutary, even life-saving. Yet the aphorism, "You are what you eat", though often heard, isn't always taken as seriously as we might...And that may contribute to unpleasant health consequences.
After spending forty years in the wilderness, the children of Israel crossed into the Promised Land arriving to immediately face what seemed an impregnable fortress and an impossible task. Imagine receiving the instruction to march around the fortified city seven times, then finally be commanded to shout with all your might and sound shofars!