Oh God, Would You Please Rip Open the Heavens Shane Idleman
“OH, THAT YOU WOULD REND THE HEAVENS! THAT YOU WOULD COME DOWN!” — ISAIAH 64:1–2
On April 24th, 2021, an Indonesian submarine sank in the southern Pacific Ocean. The news reported that the crew may have run out of oxygen and quickly sank below the crush depth—the pressure on the outside was greater than the strength on the inside. It is thought that it went down quickly because of an internal leaking.
This parallels exactly what is happening in America today as waves of confusion and chaos overcome the masses. Many are being crushed by the external pressures of life because the strength on the inside (their relationship with God) is not greater than the pressure on the outside.
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As I recently wrote, “America’s stage four cancer has metastasized to the family and the church. We are more depraved than ever before.” But, believe it or not, I am hopeful.”
How can I be hopeful amid such darkness and depravity? Because God is sovereign and controls the affairs of men. He often revives His people at very dark moments in history. Before an awakening broke out in Wales in 1904, for example, one observer noted, “It is ever the darkest hour before the dawn. The decay of religious faith, the deadness of the Churches, the atheism of the well-to-do, the brutality of the masses, all of these, when at their worst, herald the approach of the Revival.”
Do we not see similar indicators today—dead churches, the decay of religion, the rise of rebellion and brutality? Don’t give up! Instead, prepare the soil of your heart so that God can rend the heavens and release a spiritual downpour. (More can be found in my new book, Oh God, Would You Rend the Heavens? See below.)
He Hears the Cries of His Children
Isaiah 64:1 indicates that desperation, along with repentance and humility, capture God’s attention: “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence.” Rend means to burst, to blow out, to explode. What an awesome verse about an awesome God. Like any parent, He hears the cries of His children as they cry, “Oh God, would you rip heaven open and come down and help us? We are lost without you.”
Yes, God is everywhere—what theologians refer to as omnipresence. So how can God come down if He is already here? The prophet is pleading for more of God’s presence and for the overwhelming power of the Spirit to come upon us.
There are times when God seems distant, hearts feel dry, and evil is praised throughout the land. But when God comes down (literally, upon His people), we experience the joy of His presence—evil is overturned because praying men and women seek Him like never before.
As the old-timers used to say, “God heard our cries and showed up today.” This is revival. This is God coming down! Would be to God that the nations would tremble again at His presence (Isaiah 64:1–2).
Who Can Stop God Almighty?
Think for a moment: Who can stop God almighty? Like Joshua and Caleb, we too can say, “We are well able to take the land” (see Numbers 13:30). Like David, we too can cry out, “Who is this enemy who dares to come against the living God?” (see 1 Samuel 17:26). And like the three Hebrew men in the fire, we can also declare, “My God will deliver me, but even if He doesn’t, I will not bow to you” (see Daniel 3:17–18). And like Elijah who told 850 false prophets that God would answer by fire, we too can be assured of victory (see 1 Kings 18:24). God plus one is the majority!
