“He shall come down like rain”

Saturday 4-9-16   Las Grutas

Scripture reading:  1 Sam 6 - 7   Psalm 72      2 Cor 9

S=Scripture  O=Observation  A=Application  P=Prayer  SOAP for the soul.

S.  1 Sam 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."

Ps 72:5-7 Throughout all generations He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth. In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace... NKJV

O.  Samuel had become known as the voice of authority.  He spoke the words of the living God.  In earlier decades Eli had managed a corrupt government.  Their enemies, the Philistines had conquered their territory and captured the precious “Ark of the Covenant.”  But now God had brought back the Ark and now He used thundering sound to confuse the Philistines and they were driven out of Israel’s territory.  So Samuel held a thanksgiving celebration and set up a memorial called Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."

A. As I just now read the beautiful Psalm 72, I was taken back to when I was 17 years old.  About 10 of us teenagers had requested that our Pastor Noble Ballew let us use the church for a youth prayer meeting on Friday nights.  We sat on the floor and shared testimonies, somebody read a portion of scripture, we sang worship songs and hymns like “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”*, we laid on our faces before the Lord.  We had no program. Each Friday we stayed later. What started as a sprinkle, soon became a mighty downpour.  I recall taking the bus home at 4 AM. The hours passed quickly.  On one of those Friday nights the Holy Spirit gave me liberty to speak in an unknown tongue and He blessed me richly.  God was getting several of us ready for future ministry.  Our church literally exploded with new life.  We quickly outgrew our facility and had to build a new sanctuary.

P.  Lord, You know me now and You knew me then.  Neither Frances nor I were the noisy kind of Christians.  But worship rose from our hearts and burst forth.  One of the verses of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” refers to Samuel’s monumental rock called “Ebenezer.” I praise You that today I can still say,“Thus far the Lord has helped us.”  I pray for another spiritual downpour. Patagonia needs it, all of Argentina needs it, Uruguay needs it, California needs it.  Break up the hard parched soil of our hearts and saturate us with heavenly rain once again.  Amen.

Ralph

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
I'll praise the mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of thy redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by thy help I come
And I hope by thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home

Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to thee

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it

Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it

Seal it for thy courts above