SEND THE RAIN

I wrote in my last blog about the terrible drought in South Africa. Would God hear and answer the cries of his people? And what were the chances of me even hearing about it?

The God who had wakened me in the small hours to turn on my radio to hear of the drought, now made sure that I was tuned into The Bible Network (Freeview 65) when Angus Buchan was giving his report of God’s wonderful answer to prayer.

Yes, the people had gathered in their thousands to pray, and yes, they had responded to God’s call to repentance. He had challenged the gang leaders to surrender and they came and laid down their weapons as they turned to Christ.

Then we saw pictures of the deluge that fell as the drought was at last broken. Halelujah!

Maybe you have seen the film, ‘Faith like Potatoes’? It is the story of the conversion of Angus Buchan, as a young SA farmer, and how he dared to believe God and answer his call. It is well worth seeing.

But what of us? We may have water in our pipes, but surely we have a terrible spiritual drought in our nation. Where is a man whose faith is great enough to dare to call us back to God?

God had his Peter, and Paul in the early days of the church, but he had many other faithful men and women who were fellow labourers. Elijah had thought he was the only one, but God assured him  that he yet had 7,000 who were true to him. God does raise up great leaders, but they would not be great if there were no faithful followers.

I have never been a good runner. My one aim in a race was not to be last. It was so humiliating, when leaders were choosing people to be in their team, to be either left out or taken unwillingly as a last resource. But there is no such humiliation in Christ. He said, ‘you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.’ He delights in each one of us.

Yes, there was a day when I made a decision, as I thought, to follow Jesus, but it was he who had first called and drew me. Now he is assuring me, and wants to assure you too, that we are called and chosen, specially selected to be in his team and so happy to have  us. And now, together with him, nothing is impossible.

So let us pray for God to call us as a nation back to him, and believe that he will pour out water on our thirsty land. We don’t have to worry any more about being first, or not being last. It is enough to know that we are on God’s side and he has chosen us.