Ocean Rain

Thursday 11-10-2016 City of Rosario, National Assemblies of God Conference    

Today we read Job 35 - 36 and 1 Cor 7 - 8

S.  Job 36:26-30 “Look, God is exalted beyond what we can understand. His years are without number. He draws up the water vapor and then distills it into rain. The rain pours down from the clouds, and everyone benefits from it. Can anyone really understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven? See how he spreads the lightning around him and how it lights up the depths of the sea”.  NLT

O.  Again we have these poetic words of “Mister Know-It-All”, Elihu.  I am amazed at his knowledge.  As he is pounding on poor, suffering Job, I confess that words like these above sometimes trigger strange thoughts in my head. As I read the above, I thought of the powerful rain storms at the deep, open sea.  God draws this water up from a sea of salt water, distills and purifies it to be useful as it is poured out on dry thirsty soil.  But what is this?  The sea is raining on itself!  My flimsy brain says, “What a waste!”

A.  So the warm love of the Lord draws up huge clouds of abundance of God’s grace and sends His “Spirit wind” to push that heavenly cloud of blessing to dry areas, where thousands of souls are dying of spiritual thirst.  But I happen to be in my little church-boat out at sea and need a drink of that pure water… so I cry, “Lord, please drop that cloud of fresh water on me!”  I cup my hands and drink in His blessings.  Two handfuls of His blessed refreshment satisfy my thirst and tons of pure water are wasted.  I sing, “Bless me, Lord. Bless me, bless me again!” And I am in danger of forgetting that I am blessed in order to bless others.

P.  Lord, I don’t know why it rains at sea, but I know Your abundance is sufficient for all, yet many are unreached.  Help me to recognize that You are blessing me so that I can bless other thirsting souls that are dying for lack of Your living water.  Amen.

Ralph