Downpour

There is something about a dry spell that gets people talking. On the whole, it has been a dry year, but it is not even close to the driest year we have ever had. If your grandparents are around, they could probably tell you about a drought in the 1930’s where it didn’t rain for 9 years. On April 14, 1935, a day known as “Black Sunday,” the wind whipped across parched farmland and blew up the dust into an enormous black blizzard that carried away acres of topsoil. But that is what a drought is like. Most of us have never experienced anything like that, at least in our country. But sadly, all too often we experience a drought in our spirits. Like me, maybe you have experienced some parched days in your relationship with God. Maybe you have known the overwhelming and saddening feeling of your heart beginning to shrivel as you lose your passion and excitement for church, the Bible, people, life in general. God is non-existent; your prayers bounce off the ceiling back into your face, and weekend worship is “Black Sunday” for sure - not because of the pastor or the people, but because of where you are in your heart.

Hosea 6:1-3 - "Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us. He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. After two days, He will revive us. He will raise us up on the third day that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn. HE WILL COME TO US AS THE RAIN."

Acts 3:20 - "Times of refreshing WILL COME from the presence of the Lord.

You - yes you! - can have a downpour. God has a fresh downpour of His mercy and favor ready for your life. The heavens are full and bursting with God’s blessings, God’s power. What's required of you?


I. “COME, LET US RETURN TO THE LORD” - v.1

• COME - You don’t have to be where you are. God is tenderly pleading with you to let you know that you don’t have to live the life you are living. You don’t have to experience the heartbreak and sorrow you are living in. You can leave where you are.

• US - As in, “You’re not alone.” You may think you are, feel like you are - but you aren’t. That’s a lie that Satan wants us to believe - that we are the only one who has ever felt this way, thought like this, etc. But we have all been there. There is nothing in your heart that is not in mine. You may wonder if people really care. Believe it - many do and have prayed for you. Prayed that God would get a hold of your heart and life. Prayed that God would open your eyes to how much he loves and to what He can do with your life if you would just let Him. Come with us now - we’ll go together.

• RETURN TO THE LORD - God is waiting for you to come back to Him. Repentance is where everything begins with God. It’s where we get honest about our sin - what we have done; where we have been. Sin disgusts the heart of God and robs us of his power, his favor, and his blessing. Does he still love us? – Yes He does! Come before God and say, “I’m sorry God. I don’t want to live this way anymore!” The heavens are bursting with the mercy and love and power of God if you would just locate, uncover, and repent of those things that keep that downpour from coming to you.

II. LOSE YOUR UMBRELLA

• I have to be willing to throw open my arms, my heart, and my life so that I can receive all that God wants to give me. Many times, it is the umbrella of my sin that deflects God’s power and blessings from pouring over me. If you are not experiencing God’s downpour today in your life - of his presence, his power, his provision - the problem is with you and not God.
  

III. HE WILL COME TO US AS THE RAIN - v.3

• Let him cleanse your stains; let him lift your shame. Let his presence wash over you as he draws near and you see how much he has loved you all along. Experience renewal and restoration. He wants to rain down upon you his presence, his power, his provision, his protection, and his plan.
  

The clouds of heaven are bursting with the grace that God wants to rain down on you. Not a trickle, but a torrent - a deluge of Himself, an intense saturation that covers all your past. Will you let God bring you to a point of decision? Throw down the umbrella of your sin and your excuses; Throw open your heart and your arms and experience God's downpour.