Father of Heaven and Earth, Our nation was tonight like never before. In an instant each city was covered in a gentle rain and I was above it all gazing down in wonder as the arena I’ve lived in my entire adult life was transformed, as from a simple seed to a towering palm tree. The buildings, the same. The people, the same. The landscape all the same and yet, something was entirely new. Entirely other.
There were flags in nearly every yard. But gone were the names of the princes of the earth that were splashed upon them and in their place the stars and stripes that unite us as a nation. Gone are the bumper stickers on cars boasting which color lives are most important, noticeably absent are the sounds of gunfire, of violence, of dissension. And gone are the faces that hide fear behind fabric, instead replaced with exposed smiles, laughing together in the cool nearly-summer breeze. The very things that have made the country you are sovereign over so very opposed to itself washed away in this rain, like our sins in the blood of Christ. God I am so thankful for the rain upon these cities tonight.
So very thankful for the cool water on my face, reminding me as I lift my head, eyes closed, to the sky above me, of that day that I was raised to new life and encouraging me that the corruption is merely temporary. That even though some are gripped with fear, others with hate, still others with exhaustion or with excessive pride and judgement, that you will one day truly baptize the nations, this one so near to my heart included among them. This rain falling from heaven sent from you to show me that the should-have-been world I inhabit is steeped in the future going-to-be of your return.
I’m gently cradled by the softness of the ground as I settle slowly back to Earth, silken grass between my exposed toes. And as my gaze makes its way around the city where I find myself, a city that was once so gripped by division, there is a haze of something all together different here too. The neighbors love each other. The division is replaced with unity. It is beautiful in its simplicity and I can’t stop myself from staring, drinking it all in like a man suffering from horrible thirst.
Without warning, just as quickly as it began to fall, the rain ceased and all was like it had been before. Except for me. Embedded in my heart now is a hope that wasn’t there before. A joy in the expectation that your word being spoken here by all those whose skin was softened this night by the falling rain will make an impact that will last for generations. A tremendous feeling that the Spirit is at work in this place, changing stone to flesh in the chests of people I may never meet but have a bond with in Christ that is inseparable.
That your kingdom will come, and your will shall be done. That the city of Port Saint Lucie where I stand, that the nation of America, all the nations of the World, will be as new fallen snow. I humbly bow before you Lord, face to the ground in gratitude for the chance to peak behind the curtain. For the chance to be drenched in the blissful rain that refreshed my soul, taught me of all that could be, and reminded me of what will be. In your time, and in your way. Amen.
Adam Sculnick — Sinner, Saint, Servant. Executive Director of CIA Boys Club, loving husband, proud father of 3 and author. Adam has a passion for the spreading of God’s word, the raising up of leaders young and old and an affinity for sharing all that he’s learned. Follow him @ciaboysclub