Just a few weeks ago we watched as parts of our country were flooded by heavy rains. Rivers began to overflow their banks and many homes were damaged or even destroyed. In some states, a few people even lost their lives as a result of the flooding. Under such circumstances, it would seem odd today to look at the theme of this sermon, “Let it Rain,” and fully understand why I would say that. But that is what I’m going to be telling you for the next few minutes, and you’ll soon see why. The theme is not based on the recent weather conditions around the country, but rather on the words of our Old Testament lesson for today from the book of Isaiah. He wrote these words during a drought—not a weather related drought, but a spiritual drought. The people of Israel had turned from God, and Isaiah knew that a downpour of God’s word was the only thing that could change their condition. So he prayed for rain—for God’s word to pour down on the people.
You and I have come here this morning because we want to be blessed by God’s powerful word. With Isaiah we will turn in faith and confidence to the Lord and ask Him to
I. The Word Sent by God
II. The Word Used by Us
Drought and famine have devastated many nations during the course of history. It is painful to watch as fields dry up and crops wither and die. But on the other hand, floods and heavy rains have done just as much damage. Many farmers today are still waiting and hoping that their fields will soon dry up enough to be able to plant their crops. In spite of our best efforts, we cannot completely protect ourselves against the effects of drought or flooding.
It was difficult for Isaiah to watch the spiritual drought and famine that had affected Israel. He saw men, women, and children perishing in the clutches of sin and unbelief. He watched with a heavy heart as families set up altars in their homes to the false gods of their neighbors. For 39 chapters of his book, Isaiah warned the people about the consequences of their actions and pleaded with them to return to the true God.
Under those dark circumstances, Isaiah looked to the Lord. He prayed for the people and asked God to be merciful. He pleaded with God to step in and break through the walls of unbelief that were being built around the hearts of the Israelites. Isaiah prayed for rain, powerful rain from God that would free the people from the power of the devil and restore them as patrons in the kingdom of God.
And God promised to do just that. He said through Isaiah, “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.” Isaiah’s plea for Israel was answered by a promise from the Lord. God promised that the word which Isaiah would speak to the people would accomplish the purpose for which God sent it.
God’s Word has that power. The Apostle Paul described the power of the word in his letter to the Romans saying, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17) Paul encouraged the Colossians to make use of that powerful tool writing, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16)
God’s Word has the power to do what nothing else can. God’s Word comes from His almighty throne in heaven and breaks through walls of unbelief to make a person believe that he will be in heaven because of the sacrifice of Jesus. There isn’t a person alive, nor will there ever be, who will get to heaven without the power of the gospel. Every true believer is a believer because God let it rain on him—He let His power, grace, and mercy rain on him through His word.
As that word is preached and taught faithfully and in truth and purity, God makes a very bold statement. He says, “It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” It is our prayer today that as God sends out His word, it will accomplish His purpose in our hearts. We pray that it will calm our fears, erase our doubts, and give us a sure and certain faith that will not fail us.
In order for that to happen, we have to use God’s Word. It has been sent, and we have it preserved by God in His holy Bible. So now step two is up to us. As we pray that God will “Let It Rain,” we have to commit ourselves to His word.
The words of our text show us that God has done what He promised to do. He sent His word through His prophets and apostles, and He gave it the power to overcome sin, death, and the devil. But that powerful word will not accomplish God’s purpose for us if it is left on the shelf.
The devil poses a dangerous threat to every one of us. He uses his wisdom and power to put doubt in our hearts, to lead us to question the love of God, and to drive us away from the safety of our Lord. We have all felt his presence in our lives. We have all been subjected to the temptations the devil uses to chip away at our faith. We have been tempted to stay away from the Word of God that highlights our worship services. We have been given excuses for not attending Bible Classes or having devotions. Some, and probably more likely all of us, admit that we don’t know the Bible as well as we should, but have failed to do anything about it.
And then we have the gall to wonder why God seems to be withholding His blessings from us, from our country, and from the world! We see the sin and evil that is spreading like the weeds in our lawns and gardens, and we whine against God for not doing anything about it!
But the fact is, God is doing what He has promised to do. He says, “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…” God’s Word has been given to us! It is raining! When the rains began to fall on our lawns and gardens, I doubt that any of you quickly ran out and covered them with plastic tarps. But when God offers His Word through worship services and Sunday School and Bible classes and devotions, we run out with the plastic tarps of excuses that keep His word from reaching our ears and hearts.
We face our daily battle against the devil ill-equipped to overcome him. The weapons God gives us to defend ourselves and to fight back are too often left unused. And when we do not make the effort to strengthen our faith through God’s Word and sacrament it grows weaker.
Jesus once told His disciples, “The words I have spoken to you are the spirit and they are life.” (Jn. 6:63) God, through Paul, called His word “…the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Rom. 1:16) God is sending rain. We have opportunities to be nourished by His word every day, and special opportunities to come together as a church to be nourished. I urge you to make use of the worship services that we have where God’s Word and sacraments are key. I encourage you to join our Bible classes and Sunday School classes and to take and use the devotional materials we offer. Let it rain! Let God’s Word “dwell in you richly and daily.” When you do, you will see your life “bud and flourish” and “yield seeds for the sower and bread for the eater.” May God’s powerful word be given every chance in our lives to “accomplish what (He) desires and achieve the purpose for which (He) sent it.” Amen.
-Rev. Roger Rockhoff