Ask for Rain in the Time of the Latter Rain

Scripture Focus: Zechariah 10:1

“Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field”.

“Latter rain” in Scripture grows out of the Bible’s agricultural metaphor of “early” and “latter” rains—the first to germinate seed and the second to ripen grain for harvest. The prophets use that pattern to describe the Holy Spirit’s work in God’s people at the beginning and at the close of the gospel age. “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth” (Hosea 6:3). James picks up the same image for the last days: “Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:7–8).

The pattern is simple and profound: the Spirit first brings life (new birth), then maturity (ripeness), and finally the harvest (the coming of the Lord).

At Pentecost the church received the “early rain,” the inaugural outpouring of the Spirit to plant the gospel in the world. Peter said, “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel… I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh” (Acts 2:16–17), pointing back to Joel’s promise: “He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month” (Joel 2:23).

The “latter rain,” by comparison, is the promised, end-time outpouring that ripens character and empowers the final witness. It doesn’t replace daily conversion; it brings to completion what daily grace has been doing. That’s why Acts 3:19–21 ties repentance, refreshing, and readiness together: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord… whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things.” The “refreshing” is rain language.

A helpful way to think about it is seed, stalk, and grain.

• In the early rain, the Word takes root: “Being born again… by the word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).
• Under the steady dew of the Spirit, we grow in holiness: “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
• In the latter rain, that same Spirit hastens ripeness—Christ’s likeness fully formed: “We all… are changed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The latter rain is not a shortcut for the careless or a substitute for obedience; it’s God’s finishing work for those who have surrendered to Jesus day by day.

Hidden gem: Zechariah weds the two ideas—timing and asking—in a single line: “Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain” (Zechariah 10:1). There is a divinely appointed season—and there’s a command to pray into it.

Latter Rain and the Final Witness

Scripture also links the latter rain to the church’s final mission. Revelation sees an angel come down with great authority so that “the earth was lightened with his glory” (Revelation 18:1). That brightening—often called the “loud cry”—echoes Isaiah’s promise: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee” (Isaiah 60:1).

The result is a Spirit-empowered call to come out of Babylon (Revelation 18:4), uniting with the everlasting gospel (Revelation 14:6–12). Notice the order: the Spirit imparts heaven’s character (glory), and the church proclaims heaven’s message (gospel and commandments) with heaven’s urgency.

The latter rain is therefore intimately connected with:

• the sealing of God’s servants before the winds are loosed (Revelation 7:1–3), and
• the patient, obedient faith that distinguishes the remnant: “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

Clearing Away Misunderstandings

Common misunderstandings fall away when we stay close to the text.

1. The latter rain is about fruit, not flash.

The focus is holy people bearing holy fruit under holy pressure. “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). Spiritual gifts may accompany, but character is the test (Galatians 5:22–23).

2. It is not a rescue plan for procrastination.

God doesn’t use the latter rain to make unconsecrated lives suddenly faithful; He uses it to ripen consecrated lives for harvest. Acts 5:32 is searching: “The Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” The Spirit seals habits already formed by grace.

3. It is not date-driven or headline-driven.

Jesus warned, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons” (Acts 1:7). Our part is to seek the fullness of the Spirit now and to keep step with Him daily (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:25), rather than tying His timetable to every news cycle.

Conditions and Preparation

What conditions does Scripture give?

• Wholehearted returning.

Joel calls for heart-deep repentance: “Turn ye even to me with all your heart… and rend your heart, and not your garments” (Joel 2:12–13).

• Repentance and conversion.

Peter ties the refreshing to a turned life: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted” (Acts 3:19).

• Grace-born prayer.

Zechariah emphasizes that even our supplications are a gift: “I will pour upon the house of David… the spirit of grace and of supplications” (Zechariah 12:10).

• Bold asking.

Jesus urges, “How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13).

• Scripture-saturated unity.

Acts shows the atmosphere in which God loves to pour out His Spirit: “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14). “They were all with one accord in one place… and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:1, 4).

Hidden gem: Isaiah says the wilderness becomes a garden “until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high” (Isaiah 32:15)—meaning hard places change when heaven rains. The first “field” the Spirit softens is the heart.

How to Study and Seek

How then should we study and seek this promise?

• Let Revelation 18 enlarge your vision – the earth lightened with God’s glory.
• Let Joel 2 deepen your repentance – hearts, not garments, torn.
• Let Zechariah 10:1 train your praying – “Ask… in the time of the latter rain.”
• Let Acts 2 correct your expectations – Scripture, unity, bold witness, and practical holiness.
• Let James 5 steady your patience – the Husbandman is never late.
• Let John 7 take you back to the Source – “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink… this spake he of the Spirit” (John 7:37–39).

The latter rain is really the church standing under Christ’s open heavens.

Prayer Prompt:

Heavenly Father, we thirst. “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (Psalm 85:6). Give us the “spirit of grace and of supplications” (Zechariah 12:10). Teach us to “sow to [ourselves] in righteousness… till he come and rain righteousness upon [us]” (Hosea 10:12). Cleanse us from secret faults (Psalm 19:12), unite us in “one accord” (Acts 1:14), and fill us that we may “show forth the praises of him who hath called [us] out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9). We ask according to Thy promise: “Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain” (Zechariah 10:1). In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In short, the latter rain is the promised, end-time outpouring of the Holy Spirit that ripens a prepared people into Christlike maturity and empowers the last, luminous witness to the world. It does not bypass daily obedience; it completes it. Our part is simple and searching—repent, obey, pray, unite, and keep the Bible open. “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37).

As you dig into today’s Study Notes, remember: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth… for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous” (Joshua 1:8). If you’d like practical help to keep Scripture alive…

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