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Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; [so] the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. (Zechariah 10:1, AV)

In late April, I was in North Dakota where I met with a small group of farmers for an early morning meeting at The Shop Church near LaMoure. The group that day was small because most farmers were busy early in the morning planting their seed in the ground. They were planting by faith, as farmers do, trusting that the rain will come, the crops will grow, and they will receive a bountiful harvest. 

As we shared coffee and sticky buns in a room full of couches overlooking a huge machine shed, the conversation quickly turned to the need for rain. North Dakota is normally dry, but most of North Dakota is now in an extreme drought condition. This is a great concern, especially since agriculture is the heart of the economy and the life-blood of the people and their families.

At a church called Prairie Faith in Glenfield, North Dakota, the topic once again was the dry condition which was affecting the farmers and ranchers. During the Sunday morning service, we prayed for rain, and I preached on the subject of righteousness, quoting the scripture, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.” (James 5:16, MEV)

As I traveled from North Dakota for home, I checked the weather app on my phone and saw that Glenfield was receiving a wonderful drenching. I texted a rancher friend in Glenfield, saying, “It looks like rain in Glenfield!” He replied, “Yes, a beautiful rain, directly from heaven!!” 

Oh, how happy we are when it rains on the dry ground.

Just like my friends in North Dakota, God, too, is a farmer. As the Word of God says, “Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Notice how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until he receives the early and late rain.” (James 5:7, MEV) The fruit that God is looking for is a harvest of souls, precious people for His family. But to have a crop, there must be rain.

When a farmer begins to plan for the harvest, he must first consider the seed. The vibrant seed must be planted into fertile ground. The seed contains the blueprint of the plant, which will eventually bring forth the harvest. 

Likewise, the Lord’s seed, the Word of God, must be planted in the earth. That is why missionary work is so crucial in this hour. It is estimated that 40 percent of the world’s population has never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel. Satan opposes the planting of the seed, but as God’s people hear the call, they are prompted to plant the seed of the Gospel in the nations that have not heard. 

But no matter how much seed is in the ground, it will not grow without rain, and there will be no harvest. The farmer must receive the early rain to sprout the seed and the latter rain to mature the crop for the harvest. 

Likewise, our Father’s crop requires rain. As the prophet says, “Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter [and] former rain to the earth.” (Hosea 6:3, NKJV)

God Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit, IS the rain. HE will come to us as the early and late rain. Nothing can be accomplished without the Holy Spirit. We must have the seed (the Word of God) AND the Holy Spirit. These two are an unbeatable combination. Only through the Holy Spirit can there be conviction of sin, true repentance, and a new birth. Only through the Holy Spirit can sinners become saints and walk in new life. Only through the Holy Spirit can we be empowered to preach the Gospel with signs following.

Pray for the rain! God says He will bring thunder and lightning and rain. Prayer “makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” James 5:16 (AMPC) We need power! We need thunder and lightning! We need rain! 

We know from history that every great move of God was proceeded by prayer. I think of the great Hebrides Revival, which was the last great move of God to occur on the British Isles. Duncan Cambell was the evangelist who was called to the Hebrides Islands off the western coast of Scotland for a two-week revival and ended up staying for two years. 

But the revival actually began in the cottage where two elderly women prayed in 1949. I quote here an article called “The Intercessors of the Hebrides Revival” on a website from the UK, “Call the Nation to Prayer”:

“In a small cottage by the roadside in the village of Barvas lived two elderly women, Peggy and Christine Smith. They were eighty-four and eighty-two years old. Peggy was blind and her sister almost bent double with arthritis. Unable to attend public worship, their humble cottage became a sanctuary where they met with God. To them came the promise: “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground,” they pleaded this day and night in prayer.”

The Hebrides Revival not only touched the churches, but entire communities experienced the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit. It was a revival where God came down to earth and brought change. Unbelievers were awakened in the middle of the night and went out to find an all-night prayer meeting where they could find God. It is said that 90 percent of the people on the islands were converted to Christ during the revival. 

We see the original pattern in the book of Acts. Jesus had planted the seed of the Word of God. The disciples went into an upper room to pray. On the day of Pentecost, the wind and fire of the Holy Spirit came upon them. Then, Peter stood up to preach, and 3,000 people came to Jesus.

This is the pattern. The seed is planted. The rain comes. Then comes the harvest. People like Duncan Campbell and the Apostle Peter are the harvesters, but before a great harvest, there must be rain. 

The Farmer is waiting for the harvest! Pray for the rain!

The Holy Ghost is Working in Me!

BSOM261: The Holy Spirit Our Helper [Audio & Video]

BSOM262: You Can Receive More of the Holy Spirit [Audio & Video]