Good Morning Church! Let It Rain!

LaVern Vivio
Sep 2, 2018 · 5 min read

That is my new mantra.

I was blessed to attend the event at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night presented by Michael W Smith.

The place was packed. Every seat was filled.

The emotion, and the spirit within the place was powerful.

At one point, we were led in prayer by an assortment of spiritual leaders and people with a great testimony.

All were powerful, but there were two that will forever stand out in my mind. That I will never forget.

One was a young woman. A survivor of an abortion.

She was born in a abortion clinic.

She has Cerebral Palsy, as a result of the trauma of her birth.

I am anxiously awaiting the release of the video from Thursday night, so I can find out more about her.

Another was a young man of the generation that is so often chastised as a “millennial.”

A generation that is often called spoiled, misguided, and maybe even lazy at times.

But his declaration, that we are on the cusp of not another ‘Great Awakening,’ but ‘The Greatest Awakening,’ continues to echo through my mind.

Honestly, the night ended much too soon for me.

As the last song ended, and Michael walked to the center of the stage, looking out at the massive crowd, he dropped to his knees.

I expected him to pray.

To loudly and passionately pray about the moment.

Instead, he fell facedown, prostrate before God, flat on his face.

A man, so humble before God. He had clearly done what God had directed him to do, and he had poured it all out on the altar.

After a few moments he stood, and without another word, exited the stage.

The curtain fell, and and finally, after a few moments of wondering if it was time to leave, we all turned and made our way to the exits.

It didn’t take long for the crowd to make their way down the escalators and through the doors.

All the while, as we walked toward the exit, my heart wanted to sing. Not sing just as myself, but all together as the body of CHRIST.

Oh, how I wish I’d been brave enough to just sing out.

Because, as we exited, and walked through the doors, back out into the heat of the summer night in Nashville Tennessee, the Music from the live band at the club across the street, was all you could hear.

The song was one I was quite familiar with.

It is one I simply refuse to listen to.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of classic rock and most all types of music.

But this song, is one that hurts my soul.

If you read the story behind the lyrics of the song, the writer said it was written about life on the road as a rock band.

But, as a Christian, the hook line of the song is not something I’m comfortable even referring to in jest.

And as we existed the stadium, to its melody, I do not believe the timing was accidental.

Whether those who were playing in the band were watching for us to exist, or those we battle in the heavenly realm were responsible, the irony of the moment hit me as powerfully as though I had stepped out in front of a MTA bus.

As I looked around the crowd, it was as if we had lost our power when we stepped through the exit door.

All the voices that just moments before, had been united in praise, calling for the floodgates of the heavens to open and ‘Let it Rain,’ were suddenly distracted and silent, as the lyrics of the AC/DC song ‘Highway to Hell,’ rang through the night.

All the way home, and throughout the night, my soul sang out silently, wishing I had been bold enough to step out of the doors of the arena, singing loudly the answer to the voice of darkness we all heard, but tried to ignore as we made our way to our cars.

That is where my mind has been ever since.

Reflecting on the power of the worship I had witnessed, and been a part of, and how powerless I felt at my failure to sing out against the message of the song that assaulted our spirit as we left the arena.

Brothers and sisters, as the body of CHRIST we are an unstoppable flame, but alone, we are a flickering spark on the verge of being snuffed out forever.

We are, at this moment, in a time of choosing.

Will we choose to unite, and allow the power of The Holy Spirit to use our collective voices in response to the noise and clatter of the work of the evil one?

Or will we shy away from the darkness, and the noise of liars, that dominate in it’s presences?

As I reflect on the moments I experienced on Thursday, I think about, the what if of it all.

I think, what if, in the cluster of the crowd, making our way to the exits, what if, someone, anyone, even me, had just started singing?

What if, as the crowd exited into the night, the answer to the music from the club across the street had been, ‘Let it Rain?’

And then, what if, the GOD of miracles, had opened up the heavens, and had indeed, Let it rain?

Can you imagine!

It’s a scenario I have been playing over and over in my mind these last few days.

Not so much as a fantasy of the power of GOD, but in anticipation, for a moment again to declare to the world that those who are with us, out number those against us!

Our challenge is remembering that, always!

Not just in our moments of praise, but especially in the heat of the battle that we pray and ask, “FATHER, open the floodgates of heaven, and LET IT RAIN!

GOD Bless!

LaVern Vivio

September 2, 2018

    LaVern Vivio

    Written by

    Christian wife and mother of four boys. Career long Broadcaster, speaker and author. http://lavernvivio.com

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