May 15

I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered. — Amos 4:7 BSB

How powerless we are when it comes to the rain that falls from the sky! Who among us can command the rain to fall when the sun shines brightly? Or, when rain is pouring down, who can stop it? It is God alone who sends rain from heaven and provides fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. And it is God who can turn a fruitful land into barrenness because of the wickedness of those who live there.

In the same way, the blessing that God gives to the preached gospel is under His sovereign control. He holds the blessing in His hand, and it is His to give or withhold. If He blesses the word, it is because He has promised to do so. But when, where, and to whom the blessing will come is entirely up to Him. Yet, just as we naturally desire rain when the earth is parched, knowing that rain is stored in the clouds and will bring refreshment, so do we desire God’s blessing. Even the earth itself, cracked and dry from the sun’s heat, silently cries out for rain. Every fissure in the soil, every dry pond and withered blade of grass is like a mute plea for rain to fall.

So it is with our souls. The parched, withered, and dry feelings of the soul are like silent cries for God’s blessing. Even the hardness and barrenness we feel in our hearts when God’s blessing does not rest upon the word are silent appeals to the God of grace to send His blessing. You might think that you are not praying for God’s blessing on the word because you are not using vocal prayer or do not feel a spirit of supplication. But God sees your needs and is mindful of them. A baby doesn’t need to ask for food in words; the cry of hunger is enough. Even if the baby is too weak to cry, the mother knows her child is hungry by its restless movements and is just as eager to feed it as the baby is to be fed.

In the same way, we should not measure the strength of our prayers by whether we give them vocal expression. The God who searches hearts knows your needs, sees your desolate condition, and understands your barren state. Just as He sees the parched ground from His heavenly throne and sends rain because He knows its need, so He looks upon the parched condition of His people and sends spiritual rain because He knows they need it.