The Word Works Like Rain And Snow

July 10, 2005 Isaiah 55:10-11

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Genesis 2:4-6 says, “When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens— no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.” Do you see the difference in God’s watering system? How times have changed! Instead of looking to the ground for our water, we look to the heavens. When we go several weeks without rain and the grass starts getting brown tips on top, we start tuning in to the weather forecasts a little bit more, and we actually look forward to seeing dark clouds coming in from the west - knowing that the heavens are going to come flying in to give our grass and plants a much needed drink.

God uses this common experience of rain and snow to illustrate the source of spiritual growth. “As the rain and snow come down from heaven”, Isaiah says, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth.” This is a rather basic and easy concept that any child in kindergarten and older can comprehend. The Word comes from heaven. It produces results on earth - whatever results God wants. It seems rather basic to anyone reading it. The basic encouragement from Isaiah is to reassure us that -

The Word Works Like Rain and Snow

I. Satan wants you to shelter yourself from it

Imagine if you were Satan and you read this verse. He would have to throw his hands up in the air and say, “if the Word is like the rain, how can I possibly stop it? I can’t blow it away. I can’t keep it from coming. Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll provide another well for them to drink from - I’ll call it ‘more pure’ water. Whenever I see a storm coming, I’ll convince the people to move to some shelter - that it is dangerous - that it will ruin their fun - so their hair doesn’t get wet. I’ll convince the people that they really aren’t that thirsty and they don’t need this water from heaven. I’ll move them to a more dry part of the country. I’ll make up anything I can to keep the people away from the rain!”

You can see Satan’s ploy come to play throughout the Scriptures. When the LORD had decided to destroy Ahab, he allowed a lying spirit to convince the prophets to have him go and attack Ramoth Gilead. (1 Kings 22) So while Ahab thought the LORD was blessing his war, Satan was actually giving a poisoned rain from heaven - and deceiving Ahab through it. Do you think it is just coincidence that Paul warned in Galatians 1:8, “even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”? Is it just coincidence that both the Mormon and the Muslim faith started with men claiming to receive revelations from God through an angel? Could it be that Satan actually appeared to these men and poisoned the water of revelation for them? I wouldn’t doubt it one bit.

It doesn’t have to be as blunt as Joseph Smith’s or Mohammed’s claims, however. It also comes within more seemingly Christian circles - of those who claim to have a direct revelation from God by speaking in the spirit. On October 19th of 1999 Benny Hinn said on the TBN station -

I’m telling you, I see this in the Spirit. It’s going to be so awesome. Jesus I give you praise for this -- that people around the world -- maybe not so much in America -- people around the world who will lose loved ones, will say to undertakers, "Not yet. I want to take my dead loved one and place him in front of that TV set for 24 hours. I’m telling you, I feel the anointing talking here. People are going to be canceling funeral services and bringing their dead in their caskets, placing them -- my God! I feel the anointing here -- placing them before a television set, waiting for God’s power to come through and touch them. And it’s going to happen time and time -- so much it’s going to spread. You’re going to hear it from Kenya to Mexico to Europe to South America, where people will be raised from the -- so much so that the Word will spread that if some dead person be put in front of this TV screen, they will be raised from the dead and they will be by the thousands. You wait.