Looking out over Spain from the air.
In every direction you see orange and brown shades. Persistent drought has killed off much of the vegetation, and the soils underneath are visible. This makes even more evident the fact that Spain is a country in desperate need of rain. Every year we visit, we are told of the seriousness of the situation. This year the need seems to have become even more dire, and we have seen new sign of worsening conditions. They have now even shut off public showers water access on one of their biggest tourist attractions the beaches. Yet, amidst the severity of the situation, often most of the people seem to be so accustomed to the constant lack and warnings of future perils that they have become numb to the situation and continue with their lives, without any deep responses aimed toward change.
During these first two weeks, the Lord has been speaking to me about these circumstances and other natural disasters, not just in Spain, but the conditions we see in the United States and in the world at large. What does the Bible tell us about these types of events and circumstances? If you look at the Old Testament, What do you see? When Israel would reject the Lord and begin to live however they wanted and serve other gods, God would hold back the rain from their lands, send wild beasts, plagues or disasters.
God’s allowing of consequences of pain and harsh conditions is an expression of love. How could you allow someone you love to walk down a path leading to death without trying to stop them? That would be hate! When someone strays onto a path that would cost them their lives, what is the best thing you can do for them? Exactly! Show them that path leads to death and get them on the one leading to life. Sin and self-sufficiency are always bad for us. We were always meant to depend on God, to love and obey Him. But the sin nature in us rejects submission to God just like Adam and Eve rejected dependence on God in the garden. They chose control. It is not until God allows us to see some of the fruits of our choices that we begin to realize where it is leading us.
The chaos we are witnessing in nature and people is a representation, symptoms of the deeper, more grave spiritual situation.
In Spain, you can see a lot of rebellion and resistance to the Almighty. People openly live however they want. The general culture is aimed at doing whatever a person wants at whatever cost, without regard for the consequences. You see a lot of sickness, demonic manifestation, and other symptoms of this harmful path.
In the West, we may not see such open depravity, but I think our hearts are sick with a different kind of sin. The sin of the love of money, the love of personal prosperity in all arenas of life, the love of ourselves. How often do we trade God’s will for our lives for better pay? How often do we sacrifice what is right for social clout, or live wavering on the edge of sin and in sin to avoid uncomfortable interactions with others or fleshly discomfort? We say we love God, but often the only thing we want is His blessing. I think a lot of people know of God but are missing out on the very best part of the truth: relationship with Him. They may have a fear of Him on some level, but they haven’t truly surrendered to His Lordship and stepped into relationship with Him.
The culture and sins may be different around the world, but anything short of love and surrender to Jesus is a very serious situation that leads to death if left unchanged.
With all these thoughts rolling around and the need for a people to rise up sold out for the cause of Christ, our team began to pray for rain even before we hit Spanish soil. We have been praying for not just physical rainfall, but for the spiritual. Spain needs healing, both natural and spiritual. The world needs healing. Spain and the world need repentance and revival, a returning to the Lord in full surrender.
While we were helping with a five day youth retreat, we were still praying for rain and began to see God’s purposes and work for this trip here bearing fruit.
We arrived Monday to a very dry retreat property. There was no grass, the trees had crisp leaves and there were serious water concerns. Between preparing activities, meetings and devotions we kept asking the Lord to send that spiritual and physical rain to bring healing.
By Tuesday we began to see clouds on a distant mountain. This was a very big surprise for all of those attending the camp. The clouds rolled over the property and it rained at a distance. So, we continued to pray.
On Wednesday we saw clouds again roll in over the property and this time we received sprinkles. We were very grateful but also felt like God would do more. So, we continued to ask the Lord to change our hearts, bring repentance and healing to the land. All of our actions and prayers may have been a little strange to the Spanish church members. Asking for rain during the dry season after so much drought seems a little crazy, but we felt to ask.
On the final night at the camp, Thursday, we were in our evening service and the pastor was nearing the end of what he felt to share. As he was speaking, we began to hear drops falling sporadically. As he continued to close the service, he offered an altar call and we began to pray for the youth and worship. Little by little, the rain began increasing. We continued to pray and worship. People were hugging one another and dancing. It was so full of joy and peace. By the end of the service, the rain had picked up and it was now a massive storm. Some thought the drops were hail. The wind was blowing harshly and we had to move all of the outdoor kitchen supplies into the main house to serve dinner even though where we were was under a roofed area! It was crazy! Pouring down! We lost electricity several times. And when we went out to look at the road it was a torrent, a swift flowing river! All the youth and adults ended up in the main house. And amidst all that was going on the joy and worship continued to flow with dancing and praising. The youth didn’t even want to eat dinner. We just kept worshiping. It was beautiful and refreshing and filled with joy. I felt like the Lord was saying, “I am ready to pour out. I was just waiting for someone to ask.” He is ready to pour out and heal; He is just waiting for someone to ask, for someone to turn to Him in repentance and invite Him into their situation.
2 Chronicles 7:11-14
11 So Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s palace, and successfully completed everything that he had planned on doing in the house of the LORD and in his palace. 12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people, 14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NASB20)
Healing does not come by sitting on the shore waiting for waves of change. Healing does not come by settling into: “The Bible says things will only get worse.” Healing comes how? By God’s people humbling themselves before Him in repentance and crying out to Him. Yes, there will be people who refuse, and we might be at those last moments of history. But among those refusing there are those who are willing and waiting for salvation. God will have victory; He already has it. He never lost it. As many as would repent will be saved and He has called us to GO OUT and reach them, to greater works, to heal the sick, raise the dead, deliver the demonized and oppressed, to welcome the broken into our homes! He has called us to humble ourselves and turn to Him to see healing. He doesn’t change.
The gates of hell will not prevail against the church. So let us stop avoiding the gates.
I witnessed something curious during our time at the camp. The property was a desert. I mean everything except what they were watering actively was dead. They had olive groves on both sides of the property, but all other plant life was on the brink of extinction. It was so hot and dry! But on the property, they had grape vines randomly placed all over. I came to one of them one day and looked at it. It was the most fruitful grape vine I had ever seen! It had large grape clusters all over it! Everything around it looked like a barren waste land, but it was flourishing. And I felt like God showing me, He has fruit everywhere. Even in the driest and most barren of places he has abundant fruit ready to be harvested. Sometimes the driest of places can have the most fruit just waiting to be harvested.
He brought these verses to me memory:
Matthew 9:36-38 (NASB20)
36 Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
Isaiah 6:1-8 (NASB20)
1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above Him, each having six wings: with two [each] covered his face, and with two [each] covered his feet, and with two [each] flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of armies. The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Woe to me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of armies.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth [with it] and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your guilt is taken away and atonement is made for your sin.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
There is abundant fruit to be harvested all over the world. Even in the darkest and most spiritually dry lands, there is fruit just waiting to be gathered for the kingdom of God. God is always at work, drawing people to Him, fighting for the salvation of the world. Are we?
There are desperate people, like sheep without a shepherd, just waiting for the counsellor to guide and the healer to comfort and restore their souls. Will you go? Will you do what Jesus has asked every Christian to do, tell the lost about the hope they have in Jesus? Will you answer God’s call to surrender your life and follow Him?
