Revival Rain

 

Those who dwell under his shadow shall return;

They shall be revived like grain,

And grow like a vine.

Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

~Hosea 14:7 (NKJV)

There's a storm brewing over on the mountain. The billowy clouds rise above the haze. The thunder rolls like distant cannon fire, ever increasing in intensity as the battle draws closer. As of yet, there is no sight of lightning, only heat and humidity and the silence of waiting. No stirring breeze. Then the wrens begin to fuss and the robins chirp and the crows call, alarming the trees to the impending weather war. Do they feel their lives are endangered?

 As the storm draws near, it broadens its spectrum, rolling from one valley to the next. Down the hillside and up the other. How long before I must retreat inside to safety? Away from lightning bolts and pelting rain, swaying trees? Aww, it's just a summer storm they say. It will pass. But what will lie in its path? Will there be trees down, houses crushed, fires? Or simply the passing of another summer storm?

As I survey the skies of my younger days, I see political storms that came and went, leaving a little more destruction in their path each time. The last fifty years for the most part have not been kind to us. Have we learned anything? As Israel mocked Jeremiah and the prophets, mocking seems to be quite the rage of our day. Morality, life, God-given identity, and Christians are mocked in the marketplace of today's cancel culture. 

The storm brought a passing shower and now I see a rainbow forming. I am also beginning to see a rainbow forming in the political storm of cancel culture. A rainbow is a sign of hope given by God to Noah that He, God, would not destroy the earth with a flood again. He is extending grace to all who will come to him. So what are the signs of hope? After almost fifty years of death, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court. That doesn't mean the fight is over, but thousands of lives have already been saved because Christians in cooperation with state legislatures had plans in place to stop or limit abortion. The rights of teachers to openly display their freedom of speech, including prayer, has been upheld by the Supreme Court. SC has high school credits available for students who choose Bible as an off-campus elective. This year our school district has seen record numbers of students choosing Bible as one of their electives. I understand it's a thriving elective in other districts as well. 

 Maybe it's the sound of the rain of revival. 

Mercy drops round us are falling, 

but for the showers we plead. 

~D.W. Whittle (1840-1901)

Father, we pray for wisdom in the midst of the storm. We are thankful for the mercy drops of revival we see. Lord daily may we pray for the showers, the downpour of revival. In Jesus's name. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

The school year is beginning and there will be lots of changes. Change often brings opportunities. 

How we handle those changes and opportunities is the key to making a difference in the culture in which we live. 

Read Daniel chapter 1 with your parents. Discuss how Daniel, a young man, must have felt as a captive. 

How did Daniel handle a situation where he had to choose between serving God and obeying the authority of the king?

How can Daniel's example help you as you begin a new school year?