Intro from Rachel Lynn Lawrence:
From the moment I met Ashley Rivera and her husband, Johnny, I sensed the anointing of the Lord resting upon their lives. Ashley's eyes reflect the heart of Jesus, and her passion for the Kingdom of God radiates through all she does. I've had the privilege of ministering alongside Ashley and her family at numerous ministry events, where I've witnessed firsthand the beautiful way she ministers, with both the compassion of Christ and the fire of the Holy Spirit. She carries a holy boldness, yet remains deeply tender in the way she loves, shepherds, and cares for those the Lord has entrusted to her.
I cannot recommend Pastor Ashley Rivera highly enough. My prayer is that the words, revelation, and ministry the Lord has entrusted to her would continue to go forth boldly, spread widely, and bear mighty fruit for His Kingdom, in Jesus' mighty name!
Rachel Lynn Lawrence
Charismatic Theologian
The Rain Is Coming, but So Is the King!
By Ashley Rivera
The Holy Spirit began stirring this word within my spirit concerning the season we are in, the Valley of Baca, and the prophetic significance of the autumn and spring rains.
I can't escape the weight of these words: "He will come to us like the rain!"
I believe there is a stirring taking place in the Spirit—a call to awaken, prepare, and recognize the faithfulness of God in the midst of seasons that have appeared barren, dry, and unfruitful. There's an urgency in my spirit concerning the hour we are living in, one that calls us into greater intimacy, consecration, expectancy, and readiness for the Lord.
The Valley of Baca: His Hope in the Place of Weeping
"Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion." (Psalm 84:5–7 NKJV)
The Valley of Baca is mentioned only once in Scripture. Its name is associated with weeping, and it paints a picture of a dry and difficult place along the journey of those traveling to worship the Lord. These pilgrims were traveling with purpose. Their hearts were set on reaching Zion, the place of worship and the presence of God. Yet their journey required them to pass through the valley.
The valley was never their destination. They were passing through a place of weeping, but their hearts were fixed on the presence of the Lord!
I believe many in the Body of Christ have been walking through seasons that have tested their endurance. Seasons of pressing, spiritual warfare, disappointment, waiting, and tears. There has been a weariness in the journey for some—a wrestling between what God has spoken and what their natural eyes have seen. But I believe the Holy Spirit is reminding us that the valley is not the final destination of those whose hearts are set upon Him.
The Scripture declares, "They make it a spring!" The very place identified with weeping becomes a place of refreshing and remarkable promise: "The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings" (Psalm 84:6 NLT).
The rain falls upon the very place that once held their tears! What was once dry becomes a place of springs. What was once marked by weeping becomes a testimony of the sustaining faithfulness. (Photo via Pexels)
They Go from Strength to Strength
I believe the Lord is calling His people to lift their eyes beyond the warfare, beyond the weariness, and beyond the present circumstances, to no longer allow the difficulty of the journey to cause them to lose sight of the One they are journeying toward!
The Autumn and Spring Rains
As I continued meditating upon this passage, the Holy Spirit drew my attention to Joel 2:23: "Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the Lord your God! For the rain He sends demonstrates His faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring" (NLT).
"For the rain He sends demonstrates His faithfulness." Israel's agricultural life depended solely upon rain from Heaven. The autumn "former" rains (yoreh), fall around October and November, coming to soften the hardened ground after the long, dry summer, preparing the soil to receive the seed.
The spring "latter" rains (malqosh) fall around March and April, bringing the moisture necessary for the grain to mature before the harvest. Without the former rain, the ground remained hard and difficult to cultivate. Without the latter rain, the developing harvest was in danger. Both rains were necessary to bring forth the harvest! Both testified to the faithfulness and provision of God.
I believe there is profound prophetic significance in this picture for the Church. The former rain prepares the ground. The latter rain prepares the harvest. Could it be that in places where we have only recognized dryness, the Lord is calling us to prepare the ground of our hearts? Could it be that the pressing has exposed places that need to be surrendered, softened, and made ready to receive what He desires to plant?
The Rain Prepares the Ground for Fruitfulness
I sense a strong call from the Spirit for the Church to return to the place of wholehearted pursuit—to return to prayer, holiness, the secret place, the fear of the Lord, and our first Love!
There is a harvest, but there must also be a prepared people. The imagery of rain reveals the Lord's provision, restoration, and faithfulness, and Joel's prophetic message carries a promise of restoration and the outpouring of God's Spirit. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
Just a few verses later, the Lord declares, "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh" (Joel 2:28 NKJV). Apostle Peter would later proclaim the fulfillment of this promise at Pentecost. The Church must continue to hunger for the fullness of the Holy Spirit's work as we await the return of Christ. We must not become content with yesterday's encounters while neglecting today's pursuit of His presence!
A Invitation and a Call to Action
Awaken, Church, the harvest belongs to the Lord! There are souls who need the Gospel, hearts that need to be restored, generations that need to encounter the transforming power of Jesus Christ. There is a Bride who must make herself ready! He will come to us like the rain!
This is the passage that has continued to resound within my spirit: "Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth" (Hosea 6:3 NKJV).
"Let us know! Let us pursue!" There is an invitation in these words, but there is also a call to action. The call is for the people to pursue the knowledge of the Lord! We must not become more consumed with the manifestation of His promises than with the pursuit of His presence. We can't become so focused on the harvest that we forget the Lord of the harvest. We can't become so occupied with the warfare that we lose our expectancy for His faithfulness.
Don't Allow Warfare to Steal Your Expectancy
The enemy would love for the valley to convince you that the rain will never come. He would love for the weariness of the journey to silence your worship, for disappointment to harden your heart, for the waiting to diminish your faith, and for the warfare to distract you from the One who has called you. But hear the declaration of the Word: "He will come to us like the rain!"
His faithfulness is not determined by the condition of the valley. His promises are not invalidated by the presence of opposition, and His ability to sustain His people has not diminished!
Don't allow the warfare to steal your expectancy! Don't surrender your hunger for God because the journey has been difficult. Don't allow the dryness of yesterday to determine your expectation of tomorrow. Continue to pursue Him, to cultivate the ground of your heart, to stand upon His Word, and to worship in the valley. The same God who sustains you through the valley is the God who sends the rain! (Photo via Rawpixel)
Our Blessed Hope
Church, we must remember that our ultimate hope is not found in an earthly harvest, a spiritual experience, or a temporary season of refreshing. Our ultimate hope is Jesus Christ! The One who came in humility is coming again in glory! He who poured out His Spirit upon the Church is the One for whom the Church must remain watchful and ready.
I believe the Spirit is calling the Bride to awaken from spiritual complacency—to trim her lamps, to keep the oil burning, to walk in holiness, to remain steadfast in prayer, and to be found faithful in the work of the Kingdom. This is not an hour to grow careless with the things of God.
It's an hour to seek Him with our whole hearts, to discern the times through the truth of His Word. It's an hour to prepare the ground, proclaim the Gospel, and labor for the harvest. This is the hour, saints, to lift our eyes and remember that our redemption draws near! Just as those pilgrims journeyed through the Valley of Baca with their hearts set upon Zion, we too must remember that this world is not our final home or destination.
I believe this is the word of encouragement and exhortation for this season: He's faithful in the former rain, in the latter rain, and in the valley! And He will be faithful to His promise to come again.
So, Church, let the cry of our hearts be "Lord, soften the ground of our hearts! Let every hardened place be broken before You. Let the weary be strengthened. Let the weeping places become springs of refreshing. Let the Church awaken to righteousness and holiness. Let there be a fresh hunger for Your Word and Your presence. Prepare us for the harvest. Pour out Your Spirit as You have promised. And above all, prepare Your Bride for the coming of the King!"
"They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion." (Psalm 84:7 NKJV)
The valley is not our destination. His presence is our pursuit. His faithfulness is our confidence, and His coming is our blessed hope! He will come to us like the rain. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
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Ashley Rivera
Rivers of Living Water Church
Email:Â Rivera.Ashley0521@gmail.com
Website:Â ashleynrivera.com
Ashley Rivera serves as Co-Pastor of Rivers of Living Water Church in Maplewood, MN, alongside her husband, Founder and Lead Pastor Johnny Rivera. Ashley is a minister, prophetic voice, and forthcoming author of Putting the Lies to Death: 30 Days of Inner Healing through the Truth of God's Word. Through Biblical teaching, prophetic ministry, discipleship, and Kingdom building, Ashley is passionate about equipping, strengthening, and establishing Believers to walk in spiritual maturity and fulfill their divine assignments. Above all, her heart is to faithfully steward what God has entrusted to her, remain yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and partner with God's purposes in raising up a people who are grounded in truth, established in their identity in Christ, and equipped to advance His Kingdom.
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