Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

SUNDAY OCTOBER 4


MIRACLE RAIN

READ:
Isaiah 46:9
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I am God, and
there is no other.
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Life is hard for the villagers who live on a hilly terrain in the Yunman Province of China. Their main source of food is corn and rice. But in May 2012 a severe drought hit the region and the crops withered. Everyone was worried, and many superstitious practices were carried out as the people attempted to end the drought. When nothing worked, people started blaming the five Christians in the village for offending the spirits of the ancestors.

These five believers gathered to pray. Before long, the sky darkened and thunder was heard. A heavy downpour started and lasted the whole afternoon and night. The crops were saved! While most of the villagers did not believe God sent the rain, others did and desired to find out more about Him and Jesus.

In 1 Kings 17 and I8 we read of a severe drought in Israel. But in this case, we are told, it was a result of God's judgment on His people (17:1). They had begun to worship Baal, the god of the Canaanites, believing that this deity could send the rain for their crops. Then God, through His prophet Elijah, showed that He is the one trug God who determines when rain falls.

Our all-powerful God desires to hear our prayers and answer our pleas. And though we do not always understand His timing or His purposes, God always responds with His best for our lives. __POH FANG CHIA

** In what ways have you seen God answer prayer in the past?
What needs do you have to bring before Him today?
What do you want to thank Him for?
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Through prayer, we draw upon the power of the infinite God.

****************************Today's Bible Reading __ 1 Kings 18:1,41-45*****************************
1 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD
came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I
will send rain on the land."...

41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there
is the sound of a heavy rain." 42 So Ahab went off to eat and
drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to
the ground and put his face between his knees.

43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he
went up and looked.

"There is nothing there," he said.
Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."

44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small
as a man's hand is rising from the sea."

So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and
go down before the rain stops you.' "

45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose,
a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The Old Testament prophet Elijah was a man
whose name mirrored his mission and message. Sent by God to
a generation that had embraced Baal as their god, Elijah, whose
name means "Jehovah is my God," was sent to remind them of the
God of their fathers. Along the way, Elijah experienced evidence of
God's greatness through the miraculous provision of food at kerith
and Zarephath, the resurrection of a widow's young son, and the
supernatural demonstration of His power on Mount Carmel as fire
fell from heaven (1 KINGS 17-18). All these miracles bore witness to
the reality that Jehovah is God. ____Bill Crowder