The last 10 days it rained here in Gauteng and I’m really thankful for that, also the other areas that need it. A few days before it started to rain, there were “Facebook”videos and “posts” about why it has not rained and I felt in my heart to begin to thank Jesus for the rain and told it to come. Other people of faith started praying for rain as well and thanking God although there was no sign of rain coming. Just the day after that, the rain began to fall every day!
I would like to shed light on the idea that Christians have that a drought is because South Africa far from God and must be turn back or repent.
Also there are Old Testament and Old Covenant examples being used. Now I do not want to say much about it except that Christ is not used as an example, where the problem lies, because then the idea that God withheld rain is portrayed as in Old Testament times of drought and punishment is due to sin.
But! We are now in Christ and He is the will of God manifested! As the Father said, “This is My Son, listen to him!”
Jesus was in the boat with the disciples and the storm was wild and they feared for their lives, but Jesus was sleeping! They awoke him and asked Him: don’t You care that we perish? Jesus gave the answer: Why are you afraid? As if they should not be afraid? Then He said to the storm to be still and it was so!
In today’s time and in some Christian movements Jesus’ story in the boat will look different. Jesus would wake up and make his disciples immediately aware of their sin and how they are just like Jonah who made wrong decision and that it is God who caused the storm & now God was waiting for them to turn back and repent.
But it’s not how it turned out, even with Judas that would betray him. Jesus still says: why are “you” afraid? He also speaks to storm as if it was not the Father who sent the storm.
What I want to say today is that it is not God that withholds things and He isn’t waiting to do something until everyone is converted. Yes we need to come to the full realization of God’s Kingdom as the word “Repent” means in Matthew 4:17 to change our minds because the kingdom is at hand. Also yes, you have to accept God’s forgiveness and so we can live in it.
Who are we today? God’s people? His children? Interestingly by Jesus’ example, we see He said we are going to do what He did and more! But if we ourselves still stay in an Old covenant perspective, we will feel that we are not worthy and can only hope that God will have mercy on us.
See in the Old Covenant the people had to keep the covenant rules like contract and if they had broken the rules, God would keep His part of the contract which entailed punishment. Also the nation had to make sacrifices for their sins and because they have broken the covenant rules but it never lasted because their sacrifices was not able to make them free and they were aware of their sinful nature.
Here in the new covenant, we have Jesus, who kept the covenant perfectly and did not sin, but He made the new covenant with the Father, we did not. Finally, He became the perfect sacrifice for us and He took His blood to the heavens itself. it’s in Hebrews 9.
24: For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:25: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;26 : For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
So when we are in Christ we have no reason to feel guilty, because the perfect sacrifice was made, there is no punishment waiting for us because we live now in Him. In the new covenant we are in Christ and so He gave us a new nature when we change our minds to His kingdom and rule here because He is now within us!
Jesus comes and says He is the first born among many brethren and we are those brothers! But why was there a storm while Jesus was in the boat? Because the enemy really exists too, but we have power through Christ to tell him what to do as Jesus did with the storm. It’s in Romans 8 v 28-34
28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.29: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.30: Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.31: What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?32: He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?33: Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.34: Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Why do all things work together for Good? Because He is for us & we who are in Christ are being formed in His image. Therefore we are talking to the storm and the storm has to listen. Now we can talk to the weather and tell the rain to come! We are no longer sinners, but we are sons and daughters of our Father.
Jesus loves you and there is nothing you can do about it.
Thankx for reading. Bless You
Carlo Merrick
