Latter Rain

“Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army that I sent among you.

And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.” –Joel 2:23-26

It is important to acknowledge that He is the one true savior and redeemer. His love for us transcends difficult time, situations, and events. No matter what we lose during these trying times, our Father in heaven, the true Redeemer, can restore all. God gave a promise to His people that for all of the suffering they endured, He will compensate them. He promised restoration and said all that they lost would be repaid.

I love how the Word describes the rain God gave. Verse 23 highlights the former and latter rain. Each of these two types of rain God is sending has a particular purpose. The “former rain” which also means an early rain or another translation being a teacher or teaching, is the first type of rain. This particular rain came October thru December and was known to prepare the ground to receive the seed. The “latter rain” means a spring rain, which falls in March and April, serving to mature the crops. Another definition of this rain, according to Webster, is ‘eloquence’ which also means persuasive, fluency, potency, effectiveness, and power.

This imagery is such a beautiful depiction of God’s patience, grace, and love for us that He would shower us with His love and continue to rain on us until growth occurs. What I love most is how God used the rain to grow the crops after His people experienced drought in the land. God’s maturation process will bring us all to a place where we lack nothing. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for your everlasting love. Thank you for all you have done for us and your promise of restoration. I pray now for all of our friends in trouble and in hard times. I pray for strength for their journey. I pray that you will have your way in trials and allow each situation we face to mature us and grow us in your word. We love you, Father, and thank you for all that you will do in us.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Erica Irvin is the founder of Good Morning Sunshine Devotions for women in 2011 God gave Erica the vision to inspire women via podcasting and blogging online.  With limited resources she blogged on line and created a few blogs with teachings.  Currently she is a medical billing specialist professionally and a member of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, NC.  Erica is a graduate from American Intercontinental University with a BA in Business Administration. Erica answered her call to ministry in 1999 in Washington DC while serving as a United States Marine.  Read more about Erica here.

You can check out Contagiousjoy4him & our statement of faith here. We Believe.   You can check our Founder and Directors’s speaking schedule here.  Find out more about Diane and our writing team.