Sound of Rain

The Sound of Rain

After Elijah had sorted out the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, he took his servant to the summit and spoke to Ahab. 1 Kings 18:41-44 “Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’”

The present day church seems to have adopted much of this story to allegorise the coming of revival. Indeed, I have personally seen the ‘cloud as big as a man’s hand’ several times this year. I have seen this, and a ‘tsunami of Holy Spirit outpouring’ and the ‘Glory Cloud’ of God’s presence. All of this in the past 6 months and not just the once either. I have seen these things several times. I have felt the approaching outpouring that I and many others believe will happen this year.

In all of this though, I have not ‘heard the sound of rain’ – until today. It is a cloudless beautiful sunny Spring day outside – yet I hear the sound of rain. Pouring, cascading rain. Thundering and lightning and rain – huge great drops of rain, not hail – rain. Pure, wonderful rain of Holy Spirits love pouring all over us.

Move to Zechariah 47, to the temple. I see water beginning to trickle out from under the threshold of the temple. It runs down and moves away, getting wider and deeper as it moves, gradually becoming a stream then a river.

This is what is coming very soon to the UK.

Are we ready? Not a chance. Will we cope? Only with God’s help. But if we surrender this outpouring to Holy Spirit, then He will show us what to do – how to cope – how to reap the harvest. Only if we surrender it and don’t try to control it, limit it, or otherwise grieve Holy Spirit – that’s when a full harvest will come. And it will spread like wildfire too – but only to those places He chooses. Don’t let pride creep in if yours is one of the places because you will lose it. As fast as it came, so it will go.

I hear the sound of rain – get ready for the downpour.