When The Rain Came Life Came With It

By LorraineYeung on August 2, 2010 in Church Planting, Ministry, My Calling

Hanging out on my lawn...

It had been a crazy July in BC, there was barely any rain, and about 2.5mm of precipitation over the whole of July. Trees are literally dying outside on our street.

Thunderstorms hit north BC on the last day of July, and it slowly moved down southward over Vancouver most-likely on to Seattle where it always rains. It was pretty awesome and was amazing to see the how much change there was in light when BC was clouded over.

I live in a thirsty land

Seeing the parched grass, I was reminded how much of a blessing rain is. I was so excited to see it rain. In the same and in the same thought last Sunday on the way to church, I think the Holy Spirit reminded me how dry and parched the town I’m living in is. It’s thirsty and it doesn’t even seem to realize it, it needs living water, it needs Jesus and doesn’t know it. The land it crying for a saviour but doesn’t know His name, and the land is turning to all other gods, trying to find salvation in things like rock climbing, biking, owning dogs, and recycling. Not that any of these things are bad or evil, but they make really poor gods and cannot redeem your soul.

This verse came to mind as we were driving down for church, it’s one of my favorites found in the book of Isaiah:

Isaiah 55:1-3

55:1 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David. (ESV)

and goes on to say….

Isaiah 55:10-11

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (ESV)

When God spoke in Genesis, things came in to being from ex nihilo (out of nothing). When God spoke through the prophets, whole nations repented from all kinds of evils. When God sent His Son – the Word made flesh – He died for all the sins of mankind that whoever may believe may gain eternal life. I love the unity in the Bible, how it declares Jesus to be the Word made flesh (John 1:1-5), that from Him Jesus is the source of Living Water (John 4:10), and that the Word is full of power, living and active, able to judge and test, and pierce the hardest of hearts(Hebrews 4:12).

New Growth at our Church Plant

Last Sunday around 85 people joined us for worship at our new church plant. It has been our biggest attendance so far and it was so awesome and encouraging to see, and I am so blessed to be involved with it all. I am so encouraged to see Jesus working in our town. It’s my prayer and the heart of my church to see people to come to know Jesus in this town, to know His love and the joy he brings. As the year anniversary of this church plant is approaching, I am stoked to see what Jesus will do in the new year, the people he will bring and save, the new birth and new life there is to look forward to.