Zachariah 14:17 And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them.
The family holidays for the Jews who live far away from Jerusalem were their trips to the temple of God to worship the King of King. This was a precondition for the blessings of former and latter rain on their crops. Joel 2:23 Rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The Bible is filled with agricultural allegories. The former rain in spring aids in the healthy germination of seeds and the latter autumn rain ripens the grains for harvest. The seasonal rain symbolizes the promise of divine provision, prosperity and profitability. Family prayer, worship and unity are the underlying prerequisite for the rain of blessings.
We don’t have to take a pilgrimage to Jerusalem or to a sacred holy place to receive the rain of God’s blessings. Jesus said, “The time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth (John 4:23). Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and our family prayer makes our home, ‘a sanctuary of worship’ to King Jesus and unbolts the former and latter rain of divine blessings.
Three prerequisite for divine blessing:
1. Germination: God will send the former rain for new ideas, opportunities and beginnings to germinate when we pray together as a family. If distance separates the children and the parents, we must set a convenient time for the family to come together over the phone and pray. When we make God our priority and pray together, we unfasten the former rain over our aspirations, decisions and opportunities. Unity in prayer incubates the seeds and constant warmth of faith and trust germinates the seeds. Prioritising family prayer unleashes the rain of blessing.
2. Growth: Family that prays together stays together and the family that works together reaps together. Praying over an issue together as a family, in harmony and humility breaks barriers, bondages, blockades and unblocks blessings. Matthew 18:19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven.” Growth of a germinated seed is heavily dependent on the goodness of the soil and the weather conditions. Nurture your aims, goals and visions under the love, care and unity of your family prayer.
3. Grainfields: The crop that receives the latter rain will ripen to become healthy, tasty and ready for harvest. Righteous, truthful and integrous living automatically brings down rain in season. Rather than seeking the face of God, the Israelites sought the pagan gods and committed revelry and adultery around Asherah poles. To turn the dry fields into grainfields and the desert into greenfields, institute family prayer in your homes.
The Lord will send rain of opportunity, favour, finance and divine breakthroughs when we come together as a family to pray, petition and praise. Make family prayer your priority to bring the former rain to germinate and the latter rain to ripen a healthy harvest of divine blessings in your home.
Leviticus 26:4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us to pray together to bring down the former and the latter rain of blessing over the dry grounds and make it a grainfield and a greenfield of healthy harvest. Amen
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