home  |  about us  |  contact us    
   
 
And the Rain Fell - Saturday, April 14th, 2007

“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against the house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”
Matthew 7:25

Okay, so all day yesterday the forecast was calling for golf-ball size hail and possible tornadoes. And I should have known God was up to something when 3 boxes of umbrellas showed up outside my apartment in the afternoon. They were donated for the TENT revival in case of rain, and they arrived 3 hours before the evening worship service. Please don’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor.

Because of the weather, around 5:00 p.m. I got a phone call from Criswell College saying they would open up their auditorium for us (it is 100 feet away from the TENT). I said thank-you but I wasn’t sure what I should do. I really wanted to have the service INSIDE THE TENT, but at the same time I wanted to be wise. I began to pray for direction. I began to pray for answers. By 6:00 p.m. it wasn’t raining. It wasn’t storming. In fact the wind was calm. But when I looked up at the sky in the distance, it didn’t look good. In fact a reporter from the Dallas Morning News called and wanted to know if we were still having the service. Without a doubt, I said, “Yes we are having the service, but I don’t know where.” Then Baylor Hospital called to make sure that everything was clear for us to use their COVERED parking (in case of hail). So after talking to my brother-in-law (a federal agent in Dallas) over the phone, I decided to move the TENT location to inside. It wasn’t what I wanted. It wasn’t what I had planned, but I thought it would be good to move everyone into one safe location…

And what do you know, the storm came. And boy did it come! Immediately hail dropped onto the streets. Rain began to fall. And the wind began to blow. But we had already moved everyone inside. Everyone was safe and protected. Thank-you Lord. Yet just when I thought things were good and we could get comfortable, the electricity went out. Now what? Well, thankfully we had the Victim Relief Emergency Response team on hand, and they handled everything beautifully. As we waited on power to come back, they continued to instruct all the volunteers and leaders to remain calm. Even as a tornado touched down 3 miles away from our location, they kept everything in perspective. And as a prayer was being said over the transmitter radios for the evening service, the people who braved the weather conditions began to sing…and they sang in the dark! What a beautiful sound! All you could see was the silhouettes of people raising their arms in the air giving praise to the Lord.

Amidst all this organized “chaos,” our speaker for the evening was Dwight McKissic. As he approached the building, I asked him if he was up to preaching in the dark. He smiled and pointed to his heart. He knew the message he was going to preach for tonight. But just as the singing came to a stop, the electricity came back on. We could see to play the piano, turn on the sound system, record the message… Praise Jesus! And let’s just say, we didn’t miss a beat last night; regardless if we were in a building or a tent. The Holy Spirit was present! If you get a chance, listen to Dwight McKissic’s entire message online at www.dallasrevival.org. His message is packed with reality of the body of Christ. It was just what we needed to hear in this time of revival.

As the service concluded, I wasn’t sure what to expect outside. Did the TENT withstand the 60-70 mile per hour winds? Would it hold up against the hail bouncing off the canvas? Well, as I walked outside the front doors, I saw a beautiful image. The TENT was standing. It made me think of the passage in Matthew 8:25, which says, “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against the house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.” You see, this 40-day tent revival, is founded upon the rock of Jesus Christ. He is our foundation. And because of Him, we are able to withstand anything and everything that comes our way. It might not be easy. It might not be simple. Yet, when LIFE throws us many twists and turns, we can trust and know that we our founded on Christ. Let’s not run when we are faced with adversity. Let’s be men and women who are established on this firm foundation. Because when we believe in the choice stone, that is Jesus Christ, we “will not be disappointed.”
- klm
" We cannot organize revival, but we can set our sails to catch the wind from Heaven when God chooses to blow upon His people once again."

- G. Campbell Morgan


 
   
© 2007 www.dallasrevival.org All Rights Reserved.
 
Website Design and Website Development by Chakery Design