PRAYER FOR THE RAIN OF THE SPIRIT

PART I

In many places of the Holy Scripture the ministration of the Holy Spirit is represented with the metaphor of water, dew and rain.

Take for example the waters of Shiloah which are mentioned in Isaiah 8:6. In Psalm 72:6 we read, “He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth.” In Hosea 14:5 the covenant promise is, “I will be as the dew unto Israel.”

When the faithful Covenant Jehovah declares in Isaiah 44:3 “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed and My blessing upon thine offspring,” there is no doubt but that it concerns the ministration of the Holy Spirit.

In our text mention is also made of the desire for the ministration of the Spirit.

Two months after Haggai, Zechariah was called by God to prophesy to the people that had returned from Babylon.

The joy had been great when it pleased God to raise up Cyrus and to cause him to open the doors of the prison. The censure to which the people of the Lord had been subjected was removed. God remembered His covenant and the words which He had spoken to His people. He showed mercy to them for Christ’s sake. On the basis of the blood of the Lamb, Israel was delivered and brought forth out of Egypt, and upon that same basis they were allowed to leave Babylon. There is no other basis and no other foundation than Christ Jesus and Him crucified. Outside of that Foundation, everything perishes forever.

A part of Abraham’s seed returned with joy to Canaan. Cities and villages had been burned, the fields and vineyards had been destroyed, and Zion had been plowed like a field. Still they went with joy to the land of their fathers. They had never been at home in Babylon.

While traveling to the land of promise, all sorts of plans had been devised for the restoration of things. To that end they would use all they had.

It would not be long before the houses would be rebuilt, and upon Moriah the temple would be rebuilt and they would go up again with the tribes of Israel to the testimony of Israel to thank the name of the Lord.

But what did those people not consider? They did not expect enmity and opposition. It was not long after their return that their hands were weakened. The Samaritans, Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem opposed them.

Did they then not proceed joyfully with the work which they had commenced? Would not the God of heaven prosper them as Nehemiah had spoken? O certainly, but that ambassador from God spoke those words when he stood in the power of faith. The people that returned became discouraged at the least opposition, and the construction of the temple soon came to a standstill.

And lo, to those discouraged people, those prophets, including Zechariah, were sent. It was not the purpose of God in sending those prophets to press them deeper into the pit but to stir them up in the name of the Lord. By means of Zechariah God sent glorious and precious promises to those people.

The purpose of God was to lead those depressed and oppressed people to Christ in Whom all God’s promises, however many there may be, are yea and amen to the glory of God.

Every preaching service must lead toward that central point. Christ is the foundation, laid by the Father in eternity, in time, and in the hearts of all His elect.

Just read the prophecies of Zechariah from the beginning to the end, and you will observe that it is one preaching of Christ in Whom alone the church finds deliverance and salvation. He alone delivers from Satan’s dominion, from the power of sin, from the curse of the law, and from the judgment of God which lies upon us.

The apostle Paul testifies of that blessed Christ, “In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace,” Eph. 1:7. In Him, in Christ, the eternal salvation of the church is assured and guaranteed.

Not a hoof shall be left behind; not one shall be missed of that number which God the Father has ordained unto eternal life and which has been purchased and redeemed by the blood of Christ.

Satan shall lose out and Zion’s King shall be victorious forever.

But all that is confirmed by the Holy Spirit. That Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and from the Son, and is also true and eternal God.

The Holy Spirit is no power or attribute of God but is an actual and essential person possessing mind and will. His work is efficacious and irresistible. He makes room for Christ and for all the promises of the covenant, but He also applies Christ and all His benefits to the true seed of Abraham.

That ministration of the Holy Spirit is necessary for the church, but also personally for all that belong to that church.

Throughout all ages there have been such who denied its necessity of the ministration of the Holy Spirit. Just think of the Remonstrants (Arminians) of before and now. Some still hold it in their confession, but in practice they deny it. Just think of all those whose mouth is filled with accepting Christ. But it is also found with many among us who climb up to God but into whose heart God has never descended. Our work is worthless before God and shall never stand in the judgment.

In Palestine, whereas in general in warm countries, weather conditions are more regular than with us, there are two rainy seasons, the one beginning in October, through November and December with ever heavier and continual rainfalls, and in January more interrupted, but continuing till February, is the early rain, for which in October and November the seed is sown. The other rainy season, the latter rain, commences in March and lasts till the middle of April. After this follows the grain harvest and the hot summer.

The early rains were of great importance to the parched soil and for the thriving of the seed, and equally as important was the latter rain which supplied the ground with the necessary moisture (Hosea 6:3, Deut. 11:14, Jer. 5:24). In Jer. 3:3 we read what a heavy chastening from the Lord it was if this benefit was withheld.

In Hosea 6:3 the benefit of the latter rain is compared to the grace of the Lord which was inclined toward Ephraim. Thus the early rain was as necessary as the latter rain, and conversely, the latter rain was equally indispensable as the early rain.

Already in Gen. 1:2 we read, “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,” and also in Psalm 104:30, “Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created.” In the work of creation the first Person, the Father, comes in the foreground. He is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. But however much that work is first of all ascribed to the Father, yet not with the exclusion of the Son and the Holy Spirit. To the question of Hellenbroek, “Who is the Creator of all things?” his answer is, “The Triune God.” Therefore that work of creation is also ascribed to the Holy Spirit, and thus it is in the work of grace. The Father from eternity and without measure anointed His Son with the Holy Spirit. Just think of the message in Luke 1:35 from the angel Gabriel to Mary: “The power of the Highest shall over-shadow thee, therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” When Christ was baptized in Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and remained upon Him. He was led of that Spirit into the wilderness. Through the eternal Spirit He offered Himself without spot unto God. When Christ took leave of His disciples, He declared, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever,” John 14:16.

Upon the basis of the satisfaction and reconciliation by Christ, the Father sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has taken upon Himself to glorify Christ, i.e. to apply that blessed Person and His finished work.

How does that take place? In John 6:63 the Lord Jesus declared, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth.” The same Spirit convinces and uncovers the quickened sinner. He brings the sinner to the end with everything in order that Christ, Who is the end of the law unto justification for everyone that believes, shall be known and embraced as having been given him by the Father.

The Spirit is indispensable in the beginning as well as in the continuation and at the end. Just think of the feast of Pentecost at Jerusalem. The Spirit was poured out on that important and happy day which may be called, “the day of days.”

The day was fully come, the house was filled, and the persons were filled.

And what was the result? The disciples began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. They were qualified by the Spirit and enabled to proclaim the wonderful works of God. It was the same Spirit Who accompanied the preaching of the apostles. Three thousand of those who in the morning still walked about as great enemies, in the afternoon were pricked in their heart and cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37.

Never shall a dead sinner become alive without the power of that irresistible Spirit. Even though we lived a hundred years under the purest and most earnest ministration of the Word, it shall not yield any fruit toward conversion except that Spirit bedews and makes the truth fruitful unto conversion and quickening. However, that does not remove our responsibility, for that remains upon us. We are rational creatures and fully accountable for our deeds. God delivers Himself from every creature, and especially from those who live under the proffered grace.

Yet it is only the Spirit of God Who quickens.

But thus it is continually. In S. of S. 4:16 the bride desires, “Awake, O north wind, and come, thou south: blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out.” Without that Spirit we shall not go one step further on the way of life. How powerless and impotent we are in our deep fall. We cannot add one cubit to our length, nor make one hair white or black. Andrew brought Simon to Jesus; Philip urged Nathaniel to come to Jesus. Thus also God the Holy Spirit must lead a quickened sinner to that Fountain of gardens and Well of living waters. The Holy Spirit must unite us by faith to Christ in order that in Him we may find everything we need unto life and righteousness.

It is only the fruit of the active ministration of the Holy Spirit that we have been planted together in the likeness of His death in order that we may be also in the likeness of His resurrection. That Spirit thrusts us down from everything, deprives us of all ground wherewith we are not able to exist before God that we may rest only upon that Rock Whose work is perfect. The latter rain of the Spirit completes the work of God in us and makes it perfect. Therefore the perseverance in the way of life is no result of that which is glorified in us, but it is all in Christ. He is the foundation and basis of our salvation, but also the fountain and strength of our life.

A way of much strife and distress was necessary for Job to teach him to find his life only in Christ. And it is thus with all God’s favorites. They must lose their life so that they may find it only in Christ. It is a painful and grievous way for flesh and blood. Let no one imagine that it is only a lesson which we may copy from others. No, it is not that way. Only God’s Spirit is able to prepare us for it. He shall finish the good work which has been begun in them to the day of Jesus Christ. The greatest benefit which God out of grace granted us here, loses its fruit in order that there shall be a constant concern to be found and hid in Christ, Phil. 3:8. Christ obtained that Spirit by His passive and active obedience, and upon the basis of His merits, that Spirit is given to God’s elect. As soon as Christ had entered with His blood into the inner sanctuary and had appeared before His Father, the Holy Spirit descended to dwell in the heart of the elect forever. God’s justice first had to be satisfied, and whereas God cannot relinquish His justice, only after God’s justice had been satisfied in the finished work of the Mediator, was the Holy Spirit poured out.

Those are precious things which have been revealed and declared by God in the hearts of those that fear Him.

But they are also things altogether hid and covered for the natural man who is alienated from God and, what is sadder still, they have not the least longing nor desire to know and to become partakers of those things.

How the heart should be filled with jealousy to obtain discoveries of those secrets of bliss, but beloved, it becomes manifest in everything that man is dead in trespasses and sin. Yea, even if a person lives outwardly under the truth it may touch his feelings at times, but it does not touch his heart. The one sleeps on quietly in sin; the other is satisfied with his religion; a third depends upon his experiences which are outside of the saving ministration of the Spirit.

How the devil holds a person fast to keep him away from Christ as the only fountain for salvation. O may it please God by His Spirit to awaken the one as well as the other before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff. That early rain of the Spirit is necessary to quicken us. Our heart is like a stone from which everything bounces off. Who shall persuade Ahab?

May it become a fact for God’s church, but also for our own heart,

“From stores on high Thy streams flow over
The hard and arid land;
The fields are sown with corn and clover
Provided by Thy land.”
Psalter No. 419:4.

How all things would change in God’s church!

There is joy in heaven among the angels over one sinner that repents. If those operations and ministrations were perceived, what a revival there would be among God’s people. It would be a reason for joy. We would obtain courage and become hopeful that God had not yet departed altogether. Those who might share in it would forever profit by it.

The devil would be ashamed, Christ would be exalted, and God would be glorified. Thus prepared by that Spirit, we would love and embrace God’s perfections and honor above everything, we would lose all to find in a triune God our only but also our immovable foundation which shall endure even in the day of eternity. Our soul would find rest in God and travel with a well-grounded hope to eternity, with a hope which shall not be put to shame. O how it should incite and urge us to desire the rain of the Spirit of the God of the oath and covenant.

To be Continued

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