Wait for God’s Rain!

Two weeks ago, after running non-stop, my body finally demanded rest.  To unwind, I watched Academy Award-nominated Bollywood movie, Lagaan.  The story is about an Indian village suffering under the rule of the tyrannical British Empire and heavy taxes.  The majority of the villagers derive their income from the land but due to a severe drought…there is no harvest.

In the film, they pray to God for rain.  At one point, it seems as if God hears them.  The rain is coming—the sky darkens, the clouds roll in—and the villagers rush out into the streets looking up into the sky.  They are thrilled…ready to rejoice.  Then suddenly the clouds roll back and they once again stand under the unbearable heat of an unforgiving sun.  Dejected and depressed, they head back into their homes.  Yet another day, their prayers go unanswered.

The drought is just a subplot in the film however.  The larger context is the oppression of the people under the British.  The film climaxes as the British leave the village and the sky opens up pouring out a monsoon of rain.  Due to other events in the film, the Indians will not owe the British tax for three years.  The rain means they will have an abundant harvest and will get to keep all of it!

As I watched the end of the movie I could feel hope rising in my heart. Because I saw so clearly that when we wait for God’s rain, His blessings are abundant. 

Right now, many of us may feel as if we are in a spiritual drought.  We are emotionally, physically and financially at our end.  We have prayed.  Waited.  Prayed some more. Waited some more.  There have been times when it looked as if we were on the verge of breakthrough—only to have our hopes and dreams smashed back to the ground again. 

But, I encourage you, despite how long it has taken, keep waiting and believing…God’s rain is coming.  Don’t misjudge His faithfulness and commitment to you based on the length of time it has taken for your answer to come.  Don’t think that, because God didn’t follow your script, the story is anywhere near over.  You can stand assured and know without a doubt that if you are waiting for God’s rain…it will come at the right time. 

The reality we don’t like to face is that if God were to answer all of our prayers as soon as we prayed them, we would never grow or change.  In fact, the immediate manifestation of our desires would stunt us.  Intimacy with God is built through the process of waiting.  Our understanding of how deeply He is committed to us comes as a result of experiences that help us grow.  Unpopular though it may be—longsuffering plays a role in our growth process.

In Lagaan, the delay in the rain forced the villagers to challenge the status quo of their subservient positions in society. If God had given them rain when they first prayed, they would have simply paid their taxes.  It would have been business as usual.  But because His answer was delayed, they were forced to challenge the impossibility of their situation. 

This is exactly what the Lord wants us to do.  He wants us to take risks and think outside the box regarding whatever we’re facing.  It isn’t that He doesn’t intend to answer.  The reality is that if we are willing to take courage and change what we can—when the answers come we will be blessed more abundantly!  

We are not to live as those without hope but rather as those who know that they serve a God who hears, cares and responds!  Take a radical step as you wait for the rain.  God doesn’t answer us at a “good” time. He waits for the best time so that our harvest exceeds the limitations that living in our comfort zone imposes. 

Giving up may seem like the easiest thing...but believe me you are on the verge of your breakthrough—God’s downpour.  Don’t allow frustration and fear to rob you.  Choose to stay focused on whatever He’s promised you.  Choose to create an environment where you can live the life you love—in the face of drought and disappointment.  And remember, His rain is never late.  It comes when you are positioned for the very best!

Comments

[Dustin]

Just came across this post. I've been waiting on my own rain, and I felt prompted by God to search for "waiting on a God for rain," and this popped up.

So thanks.

Thank you for the encouragement this has given me right when I needed it most.