This resolution of Daily United Prayer is based on An Humble Attempt, originally put forward by Jonathan Edwards in 1748. Its design is to encourage God's people in the duty of united extraordinary prayer; setting aside some time every day to pray for the revival of His church and the advancement of Christ's kingdom in our homes, in our churches, in our nation, and in the world.
"Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain." Zechariah 10:1.
I love this little verse. It is an invitation. Yea, it can even be considered a command. We make things so complex, don't we? We can take a verse like this and talk all around it. We can, as we say in the computer world, "over-engineer it." So often that's exactly what we do with so much of Scripture. We're good at "sermon-izing" a text and "three-pointing" it and "alliterating" it, but ultimately, the simple message of it gets lost in all of our eloquent clutter. Can we read this passage and get the message please? "Ask ye of the LORD rain." Ask for rain, friends. Rain is synonymous with spiritual blessing. It is something from heaven coming down to earth. It is something that only God can give. It is something that we need for life and fruitfulness. And it is something that we need today. Let's not just talk about our great need of heaven's blessings being poured out upon us. Let's pray and ask the Lord for it. Close the door of your closet, and ask ye of the Lord, rain.
Here's what Spurgeon had to say specifically on the phrase, "latter rain:"
The difficulty of the Christian is very seldom the commencement of the work; the true labour lies in the perseverance which alone can win the victory. I address some Christians here who have now been for years occupied with a service which the Holy Ghost laid upon them; I would remind them of the early rain of their youthful labours, the moisture of which still lingereth on their memories, although it has been succeeded by long years of drought. Brethren, be encouraged; a latter rain is yet possible. Seek it. Wait upon him, then, for the latter rain; ask that if he has given you a little of blessing in past years, he would return and give you ten times as much now, even now; so that, at the last, if you have sown in tears, you may come again rejoicing, bringing your sheaves with you. Alas! the danger of every Christian worker is that of falling into routine and self-sufficiency. We are most apt to do what we have been accustomed to do, and to do it half asleep. One of the hardest tasks in all the world is to keep the Christian awake on the enchanted ground. The tendencies of this present time, and of all times, are soporific. The life, the power of our public services and private devotion speedily evaporates; we pray as in a dream, and praise and preach like somnambulists. May God be pleased to stir us up, to awaken and quicken us, by sending us the latter rain to refresh his weary heritage
As Christians in Pilgrim's Progress, we often do find ourselves traveling through the Enchanted Grounds where we can grow so drowsy. I find it interesting that Bunyan chose to put those Enchanted Grounds near the end of Christian's journey as he approached the river of death. Weariness is often the experience of believers that have traveled on the road for some time. I find it equally interesting that Christian's companion, Hopeful, was instrumental in keeping him awake as they traversed these grounds. Such is the case with us. Time and time again the Lord uses other believers in our lives to keep us moving forward in our pursuit of God. Sometimes it's by way of a book. But other times it's by way of a friend. This is why corporate prayer and Christian fellowship are so important. I pray that these prayer times will be that in our lives, to help us to God in the time of the latter rain.
DAILY UNITED PRAYER unitedprayer.net
Mon-Fri @ 12pm EDT // Sat @ 10am EDT
We invite you to join our dedicated and earnest group of praying participants of all ages from around the world that meet every day over Zoom to pray. At the start of each prayer call, a different individual will bring a brief Scriptural meditation. Here's the most recent:
