Outpouring of Grace and Blessing
I saw four long copper spouts pouring out water, and they were lined up in perfect order. They gushed out over a dry and dusty ground, thirsty for what the spouts offered. They were precise in where they were located and seemed to be specifically aligned for a yet unknown reason.
What am I to learn today?
He replied, “Consider what a great provider I am.”
I waited for His deeper understanding.
“Each spout is a time and season. One to water before as preparation for the planting and one for after the planting to bring the seed to fruition. You must trust that I know the location, timing, and number of outpourings that are needed for the season you are in. Each moment in time, whether it be a trial or a mission, requires specific things. You must submit to what I offer you and work with all your hearts, because it is for your benefit.”
***
“Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. (Hosea 6:1-3, KJV).”
***
“Consider what a great provider I am.” This statement rang in my heart and brought forth tears of remembrance. How do I so easily forget how great a provider He is? Why do I always require a reminder? That He provides and prepares things for us before we even know what to ask for. He is the Alpha and Omega and knows the beginning and the end, therefore His wisdom, far exceeds ours. His love cannot be matched.
First, He gives what we need to prepare the land and then He provides what we need to bring the seed to fruition. All the while in the in-between times I can’t help but confess that I worry and complain more than I wait in reverent expectancy for His favor.
A painful and stretching testimony of God’s preparation began six months prior to one of the hardest things I have ever had to endure. The Lord had pressed into my heart to search out what it means to praise the Lord. He instructed me to ask for my worship on earth to match the level of my praise in heaven.
I confess I began work on this blessing, but I didn’t press into this as hard as I could have. I created a prayer of worship that I posted in my bathroom to read daily, and I spent extra time contemplating His goodness. Had I known how badly I would need to rely on worship to survive, I would have sought Him in prayer more diligently.
A debilitating disease struck my son and sent his weight spiraling downward. I threw all my medical knowledge at the situation and sought prayer from every intercessory team I belonged to. Nothing gave us the breakthrough we sought. Ultimately, we ended up in the hospital, and after numerous tests and painful procedures; we received the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease.
During this time, praise kept me alive. At night when they would take him for different procedures or tests, I would run off to the shower to cry out to the Lord. Holy Spirit reminded me how to praise and I would squeak out simple phrases such as, “God is good.” “His mercies are endless.” Or I would simply say His name over and over. “Jesus.” These moments of adoration helped me cling to the reality that I was not alone, and that I served a glorious God who was capable of all things.
The former rains of preparation were to teach me to praise. The latter rains were the outpouring of over-abundant blessings He poured out on my family as we all healed from the blow. My son’s health skyrocketed upward as he received the medicines he needed and the right type of food. There were so many moments of blessings and grace, it’s hard to know what to type here. But just know that they were precise and awe-inspiring as he made His faithfulness known.
How do we stay in his outpouring of grace and love?
All that is required to dwell in this place of receiving the former and latter rains is a heart seeking after the Lord. We won’t necessarily get what we want because that is rarely what we need. But He will grace us with a deeper relationship with our Creator.
My new plan is to write down when I see his outpouring of grace and blessings so that I do not forget.
Do you have a thankful journal? Are you good at remembering God’s faithfulness in your life?
Prayer for you and me: Lord Jesus, we honestly don’t know what we need. We endlessly speculate, but You the Alpha and Omega, give us what we need, not necessarily want, and for that, we are eternally grateful. Let us fully grab ahold of what You are trying to give us and not turn to the left or the right when things are hard or when we don’t understand. We trust You. Increase our trust. Deepen our yeses so that we are immediately and completely obedient to You. For your ways are always better and You are endlessly working out things for our good. Take us deeper, Lord. We need You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Comments