Power Rationing

I returned to Buja to discover the electricity at my house was off.  It stayed out for 10 hours.  Then another 6 hours during the night.  The news reports that the dam supplying Burundi's power is almost dry. For this reason, power rationing has been implemented.  Apparently, the rains have failed in the eastern part of the country where the dam is located.  This is part of the larger drought that is affecting East Africa right now. They are discussing the possibility of 2 days off, one day on.  While talking with one of my friends here, he looked at me and said: "we just need rain!" I couldn't be more in agreement.  For some reason, it has never been so easy to pray for rain. 

As I was thinking about this I was stunned by just how important rain is for human survival. Rain produces crops.  Rain fills reservoirs. And rain brings power.   If this is true in the natural then I am convinced it is true in the spiritual.  In thinking about 2008, I have to be honest. I don't think I have ever been so spiritually dry in my entire life.  I felt a lot like that dam in Eastern Burundi.  No rain. No water. No power.  In my opinion, this is what a lot of believers experienced over the past year.  Dryness.  As I was praying this morning, the Lord challenged me: Expect Rain in 2009.  The rain of the Holy Spirit's presence. The rain that would  produce power.  Power to serve the Lord.  Power to love Him more. Power to be a blessing to those around us.  So my prayer is this "Lord give us the fresh rain of your Spirit's Presence! May 2009 be a year full of the Lord's precious presence leading to great fruitfulness and power."