Rain or Shine

Jun 17

Last Friday, I got to go to the Forrest Frank “Jesus Generation” concert - and it was quite the experience in a few different ways.

First of all, when I bought my tickets, I paid for early parking since I was going alone and I didn’t want to end up in the very back of the parking lot and have to find my truck in the dark alone. I didn’t realize just how early the parking time slot was for that situation, so I ended up having to get in the lot by 3:30 pm. The gates didn’t even open until 5:30 pm. So I was sitting for a while on one of the hottest days that Virginia has seen in a while.

I sat in my truck with the windows down just reading my Bible for a while, which was nice. It didn’t feel as hot in my truck since I had the AC running on full blast for the 30 minute drive to the venue, so I was trying my best to cling to the residue chill of that as long as I could.

But that stopped once it started absolutely pouring outside. Windows went up, and I turned the truck back on and just let it run for about an hour until the rain passed. Because it was so unbelievably hot before it started raining, it was so humid and wet and nasty afterward. It would have been enough to make anyone a little irritated.

Somehow, that didn’t really seem to affect anyone’s mood though. So many people were tailgating, laughing and talking with each other, and kids were playing - all just having a joyful time, despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions.

It was beautiful to see. They couldn’t have cared less if it had started pouring again, or if everything miraculously turned dry and cool.

Soon enough, everyone started lining up for the gate around 4:50/5 pm. I got to talk to a few really nice families while we were waiting to be let in the gate. One had driven about three hours to get here, another was from the area like me.

Everyone was so kind and excited to be united by one supreme purpose: to praise and worship God together in such an electric way.

Once we all made it in the gate, we all went separate ways. I ended up finding something to eat because I was starving, then finding my seat under the pavilion cover of the amphitheater.

Seating was arranged by pit section, the covered section with actual seats, and the huge lawn section at the very top of the venue. People were able to rent chairs, lay on blankets, or just sit on the lawn as we all waited for the concert to begin. Every single section was packed to the brim, and I don’t think I saw a single empty seat.

It all changed when the clouds rolled in. Within moments, it was like the sky fell - lightning was suddenly in the area, and all chaos broke loose.

The lawn attendees were instructed to get back to their cars as soon as they possibly could to seek shelter. Everyone under the pavilion was told to shelter in place and stay put.

People were screaming in fear, parents snatching up their children and running for the gate to their cars for cover.

Even under the cover, the rain was coming in sideways, aggressively bombarding us all the way down to the pit level. It was insane.

It was terrifying, honestly. My section wasn’t allowed to leave, so we just all sat and watched, worried for those running. Myself and many others stopped to pray - it was all we could do.

We prayed for safety, and for the storm to clear so that the show could go on and God could still be glorified despite the weather trying to ruin the night.

Before we knew it, the sun was starting to peek through the cloud cover. People were cheering when they saw it.

I even saw a few people that stayed near the front of the lawn praying, and even some actually dancing and praising God in the rain anyway.

There is truly nothing like it.

Once the rain and lightning subsided, people started filing back into the lawn section and setting back up for the show.

It had gotten quiet again, and then all of the sudden a huge wave of cheers filled the amphitheater starting from the lawn.

Those of us under the pavilion had no clue what was going on until we looked to the sky and saw a beautiful rainbow.

Rainbows obviously aren’t rare or a new invention in any way, but they are God’s invention, and one that stands for something very important. In that moment, it made everyone so happy to see a legitimate expression of God’s glory and majesty over the situation.

In what seemed like record time, the storm came and went, and everyone’s worry turned into joy again. Just as quickly as it had left.

I’m sure I wasn’t alone in the way that it reminded me of that moment in Genesis after the flood when God promised to never flood the earth again, and established the rainbow as a sign of that covenant with us all:

“I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

Genesis 9:13-16 (ESV)

Just like it was then, this rainbow was a phenomenal symbol of the Lord’s mercy and love for us. The storms may come, and our faith may be tested, but the storm will never destroy us.

Words cannot describe just how impactful the whole ordeal was to witness.

Eventually, the show was back on track, and Tori Kelly played her set. Coincidentally, it was the day that she announced her newest album “God Must Really Love Me,” so we got to hear a few new songs from that. She was wonderful to see, and her story was incredible.

Her energy and praise was the match that started the fire, and by the time that Forrest and his band took the stage, the place was truly electrified. Through the storm we’d experienced, the anticipation to just praise in such a bold way that Forrest’s music promises had built insurmountably.

Through songs that were new and unreleased to old favorites from albums past, God was praised so vibrantly, and anyone who claims to not have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in that space would have been lying. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced anything like it of that magnitude.

Forrest had so many cool surprises in store for the crowd; from letting a fan rap a verse on a song, to him running through the crowd on multiple occasions, and even playing a few songs (and composing one) on a piano in the middle of the crowd.

By the time he was done, we’d all praised God, heard a powerful testimony by André Murillo, Tori Kelly’s husband, and over 1,800 people were led to sponsor a child in need through the World Vision project.

To read more about the project, and how to sponsor a Child of God in need, visit the link below:

https://www.worldvision.org/lp/forrest-frank-child-of-god

All in all, it was a truly unforgettable night.

I’m usually pretty good at drawing a conclusion that highlights God’s glory amidst the chaos of this life, but in this case, I think that Forrest Frank and Caleb Gordon say it best in one of my favorite songs:

“In the rain, in the shine - GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME.”