2011-09-04: Dreaming of Rain

Today’s post comes from a different source. I was out of town for the weekend to celebrate my birthday (today!) and visited The Aviator Church in Derby, Kansas. My notes are from the message delivered by lead pastor Joe Boyd, on the text Psalm 126:1-4.  I would recommend looking up that passage in The Message version…it’s really cool! Based on that passage, Pastor Joe presented some points about their church’s growth and success (next week is their 3-year anniversary), which I applied to my own life…

• We are living the dream. God can do great things…like returning Zion’s exiles! They could hardly believe it — it was like a dream! (Do I expect that in my OWN life!?)
• God is the source of joy. Verse 2 tells us they laughed and sang songs of joy for that which the Lord had done for them. (God is at work in my life — yet, do I bear fruit as a result? Am I filled with joy? Are my words filled with joy?)
• God has transformed so many lives. Verse 3 reiterates all that the Lord has done, the lives that are filled with joy. (Am I looking to see the transformation of the lives of those around me? Am I allowing God to use me in those lives around me?)
• We expect God to do it again. Verse 4 reflects their expectation that God would restore them again. The Message says, “And now, God, do it again — bring rains to our drought-stricken lives.” (Of course I thought of the dry lands of literally drought-stricken Texas…but then of the analogy of having a drought-stricken life. I have felt a bit drought-stricken these past months. And I can wait expectantly for the restoration he can provide.)
• Awareness is the beginning of transformation. Hallelujah! (Over the past few weeks, I’ve been keenly aware of the drought in my life and the need for restoration. So — this means transformation is on its way.)

Based on the sermon series back home (on SIN), I thought it appropriate that the next part of the message was that sinful actions can often hinder transformation. Sin can be wrong actions or wrong timing:

• Wrong Actions at the Wrong Time –> disaster
• Right Actions at the Wrong Time –> resistance
• Wrong Actions at the Right Time –> mistakes
• Right Actions at the Right Time –> success

This “success” is the “God-sized” dreams…like restoring the Exiles to Zion. And, as I wrote about recently from sermons at Crosspoint, this is the “doing something BIG in our lives!”

Let’s not let sin cripple us. Let’s allow our sinful hearts to truly be replaced by one that is filled with the love of God and the joy He wants to put in it. God has done this for many others and wants to do it for many more. We can expect it — just like the rains for our drought-stricken land. It will come!

~ Paula