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What if I told you there is only one tried and true method for obtaining rain?
While Australia is experiencing a drought of epically chronic proportions many people continue to desperately hope for rain — refreshing, drenching water from on high amongst the cumulonimbus clouds in the troposphere, which sits just below the stratosphere, both hovering over our terra firma (firm or solid land). Did you know the word Nimbus comes from the Latin and means rain? If humans could somehow trigger the atmosphere to release copious droplets of moisture to pour forth and rain over our land, we would set about this immediately. Even so, this would have been done regularly and long ago before the first hint of any drought. Water is such a precious commodity. The north of Australia receives tropical rain at times in the wet season which is truly saturating as well as breathtaking to behold, but parts of the far south and vast stretches of central areas of our beautiful continent receive only light showers now and again which is known as drizzle; sometimes a few drops, or even nothing at all for years. Is this just a coincidence or is there a purpose to all of it?
First of all we need to know and acknowledge where rain comes from. We know meteorologists explain this in such a way that is scientifically based, with the right conditions coming about to set into motion the process of releasing water after condensation. This may be true but the thing is, humans cannot make the conditions for rain to appear so that it will fall down from on high at will. We may think this is something we can aspire to but the fact remains rain is something we all need and we are not able to control the weather to anything more than a limited degree, despite having great desire to. One may ask why not? If we could send men to the moon over 50 years ago, surely we can make it rain a little now and then? Think again. There is a purpose for everything. Nothing by God is done randomly or for no reason at all. Humans have great potential and are brilliant in many ways from gifts and talents which are God given, but we are limited and for very good reasons. More on this later.
A little over a dozen years ago I reached the point of no return. Have you ever been there? Perhaps you are reaching the point of no return now, or are you “just keeping your head above water”? My own experience involved what is known as “rock bottom”. If and when you get there you may also be ready to be taught something incredible that will change your life. For me, I needed to be absolutely “crippled”, worn out, physically sick for many months, drowning in debt, miserable, backed into a corner as it were with nowhere to go. I simply was too exhausted and unable to go on any more through trusting in my own resources. In short I was brought to my knees — I had no power or desire to keep on doing things the same way as I had done for the whole of my life. I imagine that there are some, even many, lost individuals who are out there right now stunned or shocked by recent circumstances out of their control which have them shaking their heads in disbelief. After reality sets in they have a choice to make. Some will go on as before while some might try something different. Doesn’t the definition of insanity involve doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? Yet we fall into this trap readily.
We cannot make it rain at will and we will never be able to in this lifetime. However, there is a formula for rain that can be used if we do not abuse it. Allow me to divulge to you right here and right now exactly what this method involves. We need to collectively get down on our knees as a nation and pray to the One who provides this rain. Not only does God control the weather but He designed and created everything about it. Isaiah 45:8 informs us “Rain down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it”. Rain is a huge blessing and provided by God for His creation — that’s us! Think about it. If you made something useful and highly sought after to help others and they never asked you for it because they expected you to give it freely, would you still give it? You would feel taken for granted, hardly acknowledged for your efforts, not respected or appreciated and definitely hurt. God has been very generous, mightily patient, even longsuffering actually with humanity as we go about busily without so much as a second thought for Him. He has provided rain out of His goodness for thousands of years but His patience has limits.
God is holding back rain in various parts of the world including Australia in order for people to turn to Him and ask for this much needed life giving resource and to do so acknowledging Him as their Creator, Provider, and Sustainer of life with a humble, contrite, and repentant heart. Will you do this? If not, ask yourself why not? What have you got to lose? How are things working out for you now? Is your conscience niggling away at you enough to change or will you choose to remain stubborn? Leviticus 26:19 is a potent warning to those with stubborn pride who will be broken of it. You cannot do it all without God in your life. You may think you can like I did but it is not sustainable and it comes at a supreme price. Ignorance is not bliss in this case, but rather, unnecessary suffering. Resolve to change because God is definitely there to help you. He doesn't want you to suffer. His son Jesus the Christ died and suffered brutally for us, for you, for all, in order to give life, as a penalty had to be paid for all the sins of humanity (John 3:16).
Lessons about Rain from the Bible
In the book of 1 Kings there is a fascinating account of King Solomon giving his memorable speech at the completion of the building work of the Temple. You may know of Solomon, as the son of King David, who succeeded his father to the throne of Israel, and the wisest man who ever lived. David wanted to build the temple but God set this duty aside for Solomon. The biblical account states that Ethanim, the seventh month (which would be around mid September to us) was when Solomon offered up the prayer of dedication and supplication to God (in approximately 948 BC) upon the occasion of the Ark of the Covenant entering the newly completed temple, to be positioned in the holy place by the priests, to dwell or station there. You may remember from Exodus 20 that the Ark contained two tablets of stone upon which God wrote the 10 Commandments then gave the tablets to Moses.
Contained within his prayer Solomon says in 1 Kings 8:35-43 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance. When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men), that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers. Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name”.
Powerful words indeed. What should we glean from this example? Simple. If we want continual blessings of rain we need to have God in our life. We pray, we ask for rain, we seek God out everyday for a close relationship involving keeping the 10 Commandments, and His abundant blessings are the fruit of this. Develop an obedient humble heart through prayer. Prayer is another word for talking to God while being focussed on Him and telling Him all about our needs after we give grateful thanks for everything else He has already provided such as our life. James 5:16 supports a healthy prayer life by letting us know our prayers are effective if they come from obedient, faithful hearts and minds. God in essence is saying He really wants to bless us and give us everything that is good, such as rain (James 1:17). However, just like naughty children who are not sorry for their bad behaviours (sinful ways) He cannot repeatedly ignore these sins. Our physical human parents punished us when we went too far and so does our loving Father who is full of mercy and forgiveness (Proverbs 3:12; Deuteronomy 8:5).
Look at God’s reply to Solomon in 1 Kings 9:1-9 “And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he wanted to do, that the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. And the Lord said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’ But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the Lord has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”
Herein lies the conclusion of the matter. We sin. We are human. We are far from perfect. God knows this. He desires us to recognise our sins and to go to Him in prayer and repent of these sincerely. This takes a humble heart. This can only be done if we have a relationship with our Creator. We start by reading our Bible. We talk to God and ask for help. God will answer. Just like King Solomon said all those years ago in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil”. To fear God means to take His word seriously in deep respect. God says what He means and means what He says. Jeremiah 14:22 brings some interesting questions to meditate upon “Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait for You, since You have made all these”. Jeremiah fully knew that only God is the author, creator and provider of all rain, and not any crude object or idol people turned to for rain making through superstitious practices.
Humans are limited without God. We desperately need Him in our lives because we are incomplete without God. God is not limited in any way at all (Matthew 19:26). Open up your heart and just watch the floodgates of heaven open up to pour forth His blessings on you. It is as good as done; that is how much you can trust and believe in God. You can do this. Start slowly with a little time each day to build your personal mountain of faith. Besides your manual for life, the Bible, you can watch Beyond Today on TV which shows every Sunday morning at 0800 hours in Adelaide, South Australia. This programme is scheduled around the world on various free to air television stations, and also available online if connecting to the internet — the hundreds of programmes involve so many different topics. Think of a subject that fascinates you, or perhaps you have a burning question for God? For me it was — why is there so much pain and suffering? and also — is there really a devil? God answered my questions and He can most certainly answer yours too.