Pray Into The Promises

Zechariah 10:1 says this, “Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, for He makes the storm clouds. And He will send showers of rain so every field becomes a lush pasture.”

First glance at this, and it appears to be an order for prayer… a call to rise up at a time of need for God’s people.
But something caught my attention when I took a second look.

Ask the Lord for “RAIN the SPRING.”

And my mind went immediately to my home state of Michigan. And isn’t it spring time that yields the greatest levels of rain? What is that saying - “April showers, bring May flowers?"

 And yet here we are being summoned by the prophet to ask for something that was bound to happen anyway.

Take a look at the promises of rain to God’s faithful people in scripture:

Hosea 6:3, “…He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”
Joel 2:23, “For the rain He sends demonstrates His faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring.”
Isaiah 30:23, “Then the LORD will bless you with rain at planting time.”
Jeremiah 5:24, “…for He gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right."

All promises of rain… at due season. Planting season and harvest season.

And yet God calls us to ask for that which we know He has promised.

Why?



I have a strong conviction that it’s because in His kindness, He co-labors with His children to bring about His purposes here in the land of the living.

My commentary says this, “This ‘direction to ask’ does not simply express the readiness of God to grant their request, it does this, for when God enjoins on men the asking for blessing, He implicitly engages to give the blessing asked for; but besides this, and even more than this, there is intimated here that the obtaining of promised blessing is conditioned by its being specially asked of God in the season of need.”

I believe this is about “praying into what we already see God doing.” We pray for things we already see Him doing… things we already see happening in and through the earth, according to His promise, because then I am enjoining my prayers to His activities. This incites me to more faith and invites me to deeper trust. And it also positions me for the next miracle work He has for us, and the next assignment He has for me.

We are in springtime now… and here in the midwest that means a season of “promised rain” is upon us. And what better time than NOW, given the current climate of our nation, to PRAY into all we see God doing. With our lips might we boldly declare:

God - You are restoring Your nation!
God - You are redeeming Your people!
God - You are drawing all people to Yourself!

Claim His promises.
Pray into those promises… and then see God begin to soften your heart toward His.
Align your heart (and your voice) with what He’s doing and what He’s saying.


It’s more important now than ever before!