“In the light of the king’s face is life, and his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.” – Proverbs 16:15

“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.” – Psalm 52:8-9

It seems odd that the sign of God’s favor over a saint’s life is the “cloud of the latter rain.” Clouds filled with rain tend to dim the sun’s light, sometimes even to the point of making it as dark as night. Sometimes they hover for quite some time as we tense for the coming rain. Sometimes the rain never comes, other times it pours and floods the streets. Still other times we feel one drop and wonder whether it was just our imagination, or had the anticipated rain begun? Sometimes we enjoy the light of the King’s face like the warmth of the sun and seem to thrive spiritually. But then the clouds come and we wonder “why is it so dim?”

In beholding Christ we are filled with His light and are content to bathe in His warmth because we are the “olive plants” that David spoke of. We look for His rain to be poured out onto our ground. In beholding His radiance we see His heart and are assured of His love and plans but we do not see these come to fruition until the rain from heaven descends to the earth. Throughout the Old Testament the prophets saw the salvation of God in the promised coming of the Messiah. Revelation of God’s promise sustained and preserved a remnant of His people by His grace. The intercession and prophecies of God’s people had gone up (they prophesied by “the Spirit of Christ” it says in 2 Peter, so that wasn’t to their credit). After the last recorded events of the Old Testament, there was a two hundred year period in which “nothing happened.” There was nothing else written until the account of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. He came as a drop from heaven in the body of a newborn after two hundred years of cloud cover. Many missed the time of their visitation when He came. His people were oppressed by Roman rule and had little hope. They believed God would rain down in judgment on their enemies. Yet He didn’t come with the fire of heaven, but He came humbly as one drop from heaven. He came down from heaven and spent the better part of His years as a carpenter who grew in favor with God and man. At the proper time, He was released to do His work and it was quick and powerful.

When Christ rose from the dead, before He ascended into heaven He told the disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. The clouds overhead aren’t a sign of despair but favor, if we will wait, just wait for the Holy Spirit. I’m not suggesting laziness, the disciples prayed together as they waited on the Lord. As David said in the above written psalm, “I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.” Christ has done it all, it’s our duty to receive, walk and give. The light of the sun gets blocked out because we would be content to sit all day like fools staring at the heavens. Christ desires to pour out His Spirit into us – we need light and water to grow. Don’t be moved away from your hope and neither should we strive anxiously to bring the rain down before God desires to pour it out. Our works and striving will not hasten the rain.

Wait, knowing that it is finished, the work has been completed by Christ. Our redemption is in Him and His Holy Spirit is our only hope to work out our salvation and to live out God’s calling on our lives as children of the King. God prepares us for His outpourings by cleaning out our temples by the inner dealings of His Spirit. As we surrender and repent, He purges us of the remnants of sinful strongholds in our minds. He does this so that His grace can labor in us effectively so that we can be sent out as laborers by His grace “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). There are few laborers who labor with God’s strength. I have tried in my own strength often but God is growing me in His grace. It takes surrender, it means putting your hope in God as the olive tree in psalm 52. The plant’s only hope is that God will rain on it, our only hope is God’s mercy. That is to be the picture of our lives, even to the extent that people don’t understand our hope. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:19: “if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

We are waiting for the resurrection of God’s Spirit in revival, which should point us to ultimate resurrection at the return of Christ to rule this earth. This will be preceded by the darkest times the world has ever seen. The patience and hope of the saints for the “latter rain” of the King of kings, which the Spirit guarantees us of, will be our only strength. The antichrist will war with the saints and will be allowed to win for a time (Revelation 13:7). It will appear that hope is lost and our only hope will be God’s mercy and the promises of His coming kingdom. Our trials and afflictions now, I believe, are exercises of that. Revivals are a small picture of the greatest revival that is yet to come at the return of the King of kings and Lord of lords to reign and rule with His spotless bride (the church).

Paul also wrote in 1 Timothy that godliness has promise for this life and the next. We cannot sever the connection between the two. I’m not suggesting we sit and wait until Christ returns, we must see the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit break through into this life. God desires to work miracles among us to show that He is presently the resurrection and that He is returning with a kingdom in which there will be no suffering or death and it will be forever. The point is to be heavenly minded and knowing God’s plans and seeking God in even the most mundane circumstances so that His life will be exalted in all that we do. The point is the reward of the kingdom and not the pursuit of the world or its passing pleasures.

The clouds hanging over our present circumstances in our individual lives and as the body Christ hold the rain that God wants to pour out so that we can ever be more effective witnesses of Him and His power. Remain in Him. Sometimes God lays a promise or a divine commission before us, neither of which we can fulfill by ourselves. Before the promised desire is realized we must tarry and wait to be imbued with power from on high by the Holy Spirit so that all the glory, honor and power in the church will be unto the Head - Christ Jesus our Lord and Bridegroom.

I'm listening to "Mighty to Save" by Hillsong, it's a favorite song of mine right now. I love it because it's about Jesus and who He is and how great He is and not necessarily how good or bad people feel (I'm not knocking those songs completely). I have been reading Colossians a lot lately and I love that letter because it's all about the superiority of Christ and how in Him is wisdom, knowledge and redemption. I find it interesting that Paul said in chapter 2 that he was not only concerned for the people in the Colossian church but also in Laodecia and Laodecia was the Church in Revelation that was rebuked for its lukewarm attitude. The letter warns against listening to false teachers who tell you that you need to do something to attain knowledge, that it's only for the elite. Paul answers all arguments by preaching Jesus. For all that I hear I don't hear much about the person of Jesus Christ, I hear new methods of circumcision, new ways to "improve yourself," and other teachings that cannot be understood and done by anyone but the gifted.

I hear about people going to other countries and preaching the cross but here we discuss our higher, lofty ideas and as a Church we lack true love and power. We have added to the truth and people (and I include myself in this) don't preach Christ and Him crucified because it isn't what we have determined to know. I heard a Japanese karate instructor comment once that American students were tougher to teach because they always demanded explanations for everything, whereas the Japanese were more unconditionally obedient. I'm not saying we shouldn't exercise discernment, but unless we humble ourselves as children we will by no means enter the kingdom of God. The lifestyle that Christ talks about in the Sermon on the Mount is something anyone can do and understand but hardly anyone does it because it's too hard on the flesh. I have found my greatest times with the Lord have been when I have ceased demanding reasons and worshipped Him for who He is because that never changes. What a hope we have that we have a God that we have access to, that His love has been poured out into our hearts by His Holy Spirit. We need not go far, we have but to look to Him and find our all, every need and desire is in Him. I am grateful for the days when I feel weak and I am reminded that apart from Him there is no true peace. I pray that we allow the Lord to apply the cross to our lives, to kick the props away until all we really stand on is Him rather than have a "Christ and this other thing" type of Christianity. Let us not settle for anything less than God's complete best. Why would we? Lets forsake the immediate gratification and strive to the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. We have no idea what our identity is as Christ's beloved bride who He wants to show the depth of His love to and move through like no other time in history. Stir us and awaken us, Lord and we will run after You.

Well, here I am again. I had just about given up on this blog and I don't know if anyone still reads this but lately I had felt stirred to share some things I had been praying and journaling about. I was thinking about lawlessness today and how the Word says that the Law was our tutor to lead us to Christ. The Law does not justify us but shows us our need for justification before God through Jesus Christ. I see our nation fast deteriorating not just to immorality but amorality. There was a time when sin was frowned upon by society, abortions and divorces weren't just "social issues" but they were seen as wrong. Sex before marriage was frowned upon, we were founded on Christian morals and ethics. The Bible says we have freedom to love and serve the Lord but our freedom is largely an occasion for the lust of the flesh and I'm not just talking about the world, I'm talking more about the Church.

The Bible talks a lot about avoiding "the harlot," she is mentioned much in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Revelation. She has more appeal than the voice of wisdom because wisdom offends people, it tells people to repent and, well, that just isn't very "nice." The voice of wisdom cries out in the streets, it says in Proverbs, begging people to turn from their ways and find true delight in the knowledge of God (Proverbs 1:20-33). I'm not arguing against pleasure, I'm saying we sell ourselves short on the dung of this world and neglect the fact that God made us to delight in Him and nothing else will come close. More than that, finding delight in other things quenches the Spirit and grieves the heart of the Lord. Our deepest need and desire to really know love and return love reflects the deepest desire of God because He is love (1John). I don't see a hunger but in a few Christians because we spoil our appetite on diluted truth that doesn't challenge us or stretch our faith. The harlot soothes with false promises of fast and easy pleasure and fulfillment. Proverbs 27:6 says "faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of the enemy." I believe we are being lulled to sleep by soothing kisses of deception, lies about who God is, that He doesn't hate sin even though He loves people. Lies that He won't judge sin in and outside the Church.

I'm not preaching to just "be holy" because that is the other extreme but I do think we need a sobering look at our spiritual maturity as a Church and as individuals. Holiness is a scary word now because everyone thinks it's impossible and it is without grace. Setting ourselves apart to receive the love of Christ in our lives and to love others as He loves us is holiness. It's walking in the Spirit so as not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, not just a set of rules about the length of your hair or what kind of music you listen to. God doesn't just frown on sin, He is personally wounded by it, He was delivered up to death because of our sin. His blood is on our hands and that can be a freeing thing or a very condemning thing. We are fast becoming a nation that embraces lawlessness and where there is no acknowledgment of law there is no need for Christ. The Bible says that "the mystery of lawlessness is already at work" (2 Thessalonians 2). It also says that Christ will not return until the man of lawlessness is revealed and there is a great falling away.

What I see happening in my life and I thank God for is His discipline. It's His awakening me, taking away the props I rely on besides Him that cause me to realize my ever deepening need for grace and mercy that He gives freely. I believe there will be a move of repentance that is already occurring that will precede revival and a great end times harvest. I see among the truly hungry a desire to simply know Jesus intimately not just to have a good ministry or a comfortable life. I see some, and they are few, seeking a very real kingdom that they know isn't of this life but one that Christ will bring when He returns. Christ is returning for a bride without spot or blemish, without compromise who has broken friendship with the world and embraced friendship with the One true God.

Trials strip us so that we get a good look of how much faith we have and how much we really desire the Lord and nothing else. What we feel is NOT a reflection of God's love for us and many believe the lie that the Lord is suddenly frowning on them and doesn't love them and their love grows cold and hard. What we're seeing is OUR hardness and our work is to trust in Jesus and stand firm in the truth. To lay down the idols, to walk away from the sin and trust that if we delight ourselves in the Lord He will grant us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37). A big part of abiding in Christ is enduring, accepting and appreciating His discipline. Jesus wants us to choose Him willingly on every level, to willingly turn aside from sin as He shines light on different areas of our lives. The Lord is waking up His bride and separating us unto Himself, let those who reject the truth do what they want. Let us come away and repent of our harlotries as the Holy Spirit reveals them - "come away from her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and receive of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4). 1 Peter 3 says that judgment must come to the house of God first, Paul also wrote that when we are disciplined by the Lord it is so that we will not be "condemned with the world" (1 Corinthians 11:31-33).

Don't resent the Lord for His discipline, it's not that He doesn't want us, He does desperately but He has to show us that in certain areas of our lives we are saying 'no' to Him and He is patient with us so that we will all come to a saving knowledge of Him. It is by His grace that He changes us but He can only give grace to the humble or else He would be violating our freewill, that is why He can't just "do it all in one shot" because He wants our most conscious decision to follow Him and trust Him. The devil is the one who wants to deceive your heart but Christ wants every part of your heart, soul, mind and body and He wants your 'yes.' Our faith delights and ravishes His heart as it is expressed in seeking Him and falling more in love with Him as we come to know how great His love towards us. The anti-Christ will come with many signs and wonders and deceive many and that spirit is already at work - it tries to get us to replace Christ as the focus of all that we live for. Let us repent because we have the freedom to do that in Christ and He is forgiving and abounding in love to those who call upon His name.

Lord, forgive us for our lack of desire and compromise. Forgive us for choosing to be yoked again into bondage rather than be embraced as Your precious children. Your love is past feeling or understanding and I pray that You would release a spirit of wisdom and revelation over Your Church and that You would draw us. We cannot come unless drawn and we cannot stir up or awaken Your love without Your Holy Spirit. Stir us and awaken us to our high calling as Your bride and by Your grace guide us in continuous repentance from this world to be found faithful and crying out in unison with the Holy Spirit "Come!" I pray that You would find faith when You return and that we would be watching and praying with eager expectancy. Come Lord Jesus and renovate our hearts and let our lives be fully pleasing to You, Jesus. Seal us with Your Holy Spirit and burn away the chaff in our lives. May we be guided by godly sorrow to repentance into the newness of life and grieve over those who don't know You. May the love of Christ constrain us and compel us to love You with all that we have and love others as You, the Lover of the ages, love us. In Jesus' mighty and precious name I pray. Amen.