“Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence…” (Isaiah 64:1 NKJV)

“America has fallen,” cry some. And although we are in a very difficult crisis at the moment, I still believe in the God who revives dead things. With Him on the throne, there is always hope. For this reason, I am rereleasing a few points from my book, Oh God, Rend the Heavens.

1. The first step is to acknowledge that God is our only hope: “Oh, that You would open heaven.” We say, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” but very few of us actually know what that means. It means, “Blessed are the beggars.” Which leads to the second point:

2. To truly receive from God there must be desperation: “God, please come down” must be the cry of our heart. Instead of becoming fearful over desperate situations in America, use the desperate situation to propel you closer to God. As a famous song goes, “God bless the broken road that led me straight to You.”

Ask Him to come down like rain on barren soil; like a mighty river in a parched land. “Oh, that You would rend the heavens.” A downpour nourishes, restores, replenishes, and revives; it makes things come alive. You may feel dead and dry, but don’t give up. Again, “God, come down” must be the desperate cry of your heart.

Too Proud to Cry

Sadly, many of us (especially men) are too proud to cry out to God. They’ll cry out to entertainment, alcohol, and lust to nourish them, but not God. As a result, they never experience a downpour.

You may be “a good Christian.” You may even “know your Bible,” but have you truly experienced a mighty downpour? Pride avoids answering this question; desperation and pride are opposing forces. The difference between a little rain and a massive downpour is like a farmer throwing down a few seeds versus planting a bumper crop. Or like a little spring running calmly down the hill versus a downpour that causes a dam to burst.

When a downpour hits, it disrupts everything, and this is exactly what America needs; our life, our agenda, and our relationship with God are all affected at a very deep level. “Oh, that You would rend the heavens.” God, our nation, families, and churches need You! We need a massive downpour.

Be on high alert: Bitterness, negativity, and a critical heart prevent downpours. In the same way that sin in the nation of Israel blocked the blessings of God, these wrong attitudes prevent a downpour; instead of open heavens, the heavens are slammed shut.

3. A downpour has a cost: “He acts for the one who waits for Him.” A downpour often cannot be rushed. Leonard Ravenhill once said, “There is no such thing as a painless Pentecost.” The disciples waited days in an upper room before they received a downpour. Jesus fasted for 40 days and began His ministry in “the power of the Spirit.” Those who wait on God will renew their strength; the rain begins to form, and then the downpour is inevitable.

The value of something determines the cost.

4 Ways to Prepare the Soil

Like farmers, we must prepare the soil while we wait for the rain. Here are a few ways:

1] Break up the fallow ground: Examine your heart and motives. Is the downpour about God’s glory, or are you striving for popularity, position, and power?

2] Remove excuses such as, “I don’t need that … I don’t want to get carried away. I’m just not emotional. That’s not who I am.” This is pride in its purest form. Remove it before it removes you from receiving a downpour.

3] Pull out the root of bitterness: “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:15).

4] Sow in love. So many believers know the Bible, but they lack the fertile soil of love and compassion. If you’re not loving, gentle, and compassionate, you have not received a downpour. Repent today and prepare the soil of your heart for a mighty downpour.

These may not be easy words to hear, but in the same way, farmers don’t gently work the soil. They use 10-ton farming equipment to rip and tear the soil in order to prepare it. In the same way, we need to hear hard things from time to time. Cozy sermons void of heat will not melt our pride, and feel-good messages void of repentance will not change anyone.

The Last Aching Abyss Is Gone

In the words of Oswald Chambers before he received a downpour, “God used me during those years … but I had no conscious communion with Him. The Bible was the dullest, most uninteresting book in existence…”

A few years later, he wrote, “If the four previous years had been hell on earth, these five years have truly been heaven on earth. Glory be to God, the last aching abyss of the human heart is filled to overflowing with the love of God.”

Heaven was rent; the downpour came to his parched heart.

Now it’s America’s turn.

SPECIAL NOTE: Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California will be holding services every night from October 23 – 31. Join us as we pray that God would rend the heavens once again and revive His church and our nation. Find out more at WCFAV.org.

Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California and the creator of the WCF Radio Network. His program, Regaining Lost Ground, points us back to God and reminds us that although times change, truth does not. His books, blogs, and sermons can all be found at ShaneIdleman.com.