The prophet Isaiah prayed, “Look down from heaven, and behold….” (Isaiah 63:15). As his prayer crescendos , he cried out, “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence” (Isaiah 64:1). When God manifests His presence on earth, heaven touches earth.
The imagery describes the theological concept of the outpouring of the Spirit, which is both an Old and New Testament concept (Isaiah 44:3; Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:27-18). The outpouring of the Spirit is the spiritual and powerful manifestation of the presence of God (Ezekiel 39:29). It is when God banishes the powers of the air, which cause interference in the atmosphere, and thus, rends the heavens and comes down.
In an atmosphere saturated by the presence of God, the Word of God has free course and is glorified (3 Thessalonians 3:1). When the Word has its full weight on the hearts of men, the convicting work of the Spirit bears down in inescapable fashion. Yet the Spirit also convinces of the cleansing power of the blood that brings hope. This provides opportunity for backslidden saints to deal honestly with their sins and for the lost to run to Christ.
The outpouring of the Spirit is when God fills the atmosphere with His life. The filling of the Spirit is when God fills individuals with His life. O how we need seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord! We need the rain of the Spirit to knock down the dust of deception and invigorate us with the life of God.
John Van Gelderen
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