15/01/12

Rain and supply

2 Kings 3:17 - For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.


When people need water they first look to one source and that is rains. Rains are considered a blessing throughout the world. If a country does not receive good rains the life system can be destroyed of that place and experience famines.

Of late we have been seeing another face to these rains and that is floods. Many countries have been receiving heavy rains at rates unimaginable causing landslides, flash floods and inland tsunamis, not giving people time even to flee for their lives.

This brings a question is rain good or bad? The answer on every tongue would be sufficient rain is good. About 2 years back when Mumbai had bad rains and there was water shortage I prayed to the Lord for rains and the Lord answered with 3 years of good rains and the past 2 years we have seen good rains which did no harm and at the same time gave us sufficient water.

Some scientist attribute rain as an important factor for life, but the Bible differs on this. The Bible to the extent states the first farming was done without rain!

If we look up the Bible Genesis it states a very different picture.

Genesis 2:5-10 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became into four heads.

Archaeologist traced this place according to the Bible and found its location to eastern Turkey. This place is a high inland plateau varying at heights of 3000 to 4000 feet above sea level, having a rim of 12000 feet high mountains including the main peak Mount Ararat (where Noah's ark rested after the floods). One may wonder how the farming happened, big trees require sufficient water to grow, so do various cereals?

This place had 2 main sources of water one was from the melting glaciers which ran into the 4 rivers which ran into a lake and the other source states as mist that came from the earth.

What would surprise people is the first farming done by Adam did not require him to carry water from the lake or rivers. He just made sure that the plants were planted and were harvested, for they grew by themselves. His farming concept is known as dry farming and the plants were not receiving water from rains nor did any man water them. The archaeologists found a great water tableau below this place and the porous rocks and the soft clay soil found in this place would make sure this water reached the plants. This place being at a height also made sure the crops were free of weeds.

What we see man did not need rain before sin came and the resources made available by the Lord allowed man to do all things exceedingly well. But when sin came, the relationship with the Lord broke and faith got lost. Due to loss of faith man started getting distanced from the resources made available by the Lord; in this situation rain became the mercy supply of water to faithless man. But we also read in the Bible at times in His anger due to the growing greed of man, the Lord over gave the supply and caused man to be sickened by it.

In today's scripture through the hands of Elisha the Lord supplies the needs of the 3 armies with water coming out of the ground, He did not cause rain to fall down. Not only the men but even their animals were fully satisfied.

The message for us today is the Lord does not need to work in the way we assume right. He has better ways and by these ways He has already supplied us all our needs, we need to just create a drench by humbling to Him and be filled with our supply.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord Jesus You did remind us to not worry of our needs. You told us what to give importance to and what not to. You showed us it is from the unseen that all seen things came; if we surrender unto your Cause we will have the fullness of life. Lord we pray that we surrender to You and your Kingdom, help us overcome our senses and not think in the ways of the foolish world...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Leviticus 26:3-5
3 If you walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
5 And your threshing shall reach to the vintage, and the vintage shall reach to the sowing time: and you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

Genesis 7:4 - For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 11:17 - And then the LORD's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest you perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD gives you.

Luke 12:21-31
21 So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22 And he said to his disciples, Therefore I say to you, Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat; neither for the body, what you shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them: how much more are you better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If you then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take you thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say to you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?
29 And seek not you what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, neither be you of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knows that you have need of these things.
31 But rather seek you the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added to you.

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