Zechariah 10:1 "Ask the LORD for rain In the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone."
Even though we long for the glory of the latter rain, it has not yet arrived. Some have proclaimed the outpouring of God’s Glory out of pure hype. This is very dangerous, because those who settle for the artificial will never see the real. Some believe there is an increase of God’s power, healing and miracles today, but that doesn’t automatically indicate the latter rain.
We have seen examples in the Bible such as Balaam and King Saul, who each operated in the anointing, but fell short of walking in God’s glory because of their selfish motives. And we have not been raised up to perform miracles, we have been raised up to go into the entire world and preach the gospel. Let’s look at the rest of Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
The important things here to note is that these signs will follow believers; the most important thing is that we 1) share the gospel and 2) lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I believe one of the reason’s we don’t see the glory of God today is because there is more longing to witness signs, wonders and miracles than there is for the One who creates them. If I were to compare this with anything, it would be like going to a David Copperfield Magic performance. He is so good and does such amazing things that seem to have no explanation, that people just gasp and are in such awe of what they see. They applaud and praise him at every appearance and don’t even know him.
Now, we come to church and long to see God in action. Once in a while someone gets healed and we applaud and yell, but God doesn’t seem to get the glory that David Copperfield does. At times it seems the one who prays for someone gets the attention and the applause. The glory of the latter rain is not going to come in miracles, but it will come in a way that will cause people to fall on their faces and weep and tremble at His presence. We don’t appear to be ready for that yet. We want to see signs and miracles like the things we watch on television. We are the generation who wants to be entertained.
Let us be as David was in Psalm 96:8-9 “Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.” \We are seeking the wrong things of God. We should be longing for his presence and not for what he is going to do. Just like in Mark, when the glory falls, signs and wonders will follow.
When my daughter was 4 years old, she had been in the hospital 35 times. She had had meningitis, polio and collapsed lungs and then pneumonia over and over again. It was terrifying. For the first 10 years of her life, we never knew if she would live or die. During this time my father, who was not a believer, became interested in watching Oral Roberts on television. I remember Dad telling us we should take Sheryl to Oral Roberts to be healed. His words were, “that man heals people”. I don’t think he thought of God doing it, but it was “that man heals. At 4 years old, she did indeed die and was brought back to life by a minister who came and prayed over her dead body. It was a true miracle and the first thing my father said was, “God saved her life”. He even told all his friends about God raising her from the dead. But as the years went on, that part was forgotten and my father still would not enter the doors of a church. His excuse was that when he went in a church, his whole body trembled and it scared him really bad. Looking back, I understand what I didn’t know then - he understood the fear of the Lord! It was many years later, before he died at age 72, a man in the same hospital room with him led him to the Lord and Dad couldn’t wait to tell us what happened to him.
I told you all this to show you that even if we see someone raised from the dead – a true miracle – it doesn’t always bring salvation to those who see it. It’s going to have to be something more than signs and wonders; it takes the presence of the Glory of God. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 “When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the Lord's house. When all the children of
This is what the latter rain is all about; not miracles, but about the Glory of God manifesting itself for the people. When the glory falls, people won’t be running back and forth to the bathroom or texting on their cell phones. Children won’t be crying or people whispering, but all will be face down and trembling in His presence.
We must remember that when our pursuit is for “blessings” instead of for the Lord, He will remove or withhold so that we will cry out for Him again. The book of Malachi begins by God rebuking his people; “you call me Lord, but where are my honor and reverence?”
Jeremiah 3:2-3 “…And you have polluted the land with your harlotries and your wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no latter rain.” With the early rain came great blessing, but it also brought swift judgment as well.
Quit looking for miracles and blessings. They will follow the believer, but our first priority must be to seek God and honor and reverence Him for who He is. We need to experience the ‘Fear of the Lord’ and when His Glory enters the place, He will open the heavens and the latter rain will fall. I want to be drenched in that rain - don't you?
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