Rain rain go away, Come again another day. Little Johnny wants to play, Rain rain go away.
Many Brits would echo the sentiment of that nursery rhyme, too much rain already – enough!
Many UK areas have been affected by the continual rainy weather, with thousands of homes flooded and farmers struggling to grow crops in the saturated soil.
And it may be becoming a trend, the Met Office reports that four of the top five wettest years have occurred since 2000
So it may seem entirely inappropriate for me to suggest that we pray for more rain.
The prophet Zechariah brings these interesting words to Israel in Zechariah 10:1
“Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring (latter) rain.”
In the bible, the latter rain refers spiritually to an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the age of the Spirit (Joel 2:23-30, Acts 2:39)
The Spirit of God is often associated with life giving water – Jesus referred to the Spirit as a continuous spring or fountain of living water (John 7:38).
As Christians, we often sing words of invitation such as “Come like a mighty flood” but do we really understand what we are asking for?
God is so generous that if we ask for a sprinkle of rain, he is willing to drench us, if we ask for a meal, he feeds 5000, if we ask for a glass of wine, he provides 120 gallons for a wedding feast
It is easy to become familiar or content with the level of the Spirit that we have experienced so far.
The start of a new year is a welcome time to ask for more of God’s presence and the Holy Spirit to come among us in a season where we see a measure of rain.
So, let it reign
Laurence Evans is a member of Jubilee Community Church
