Give me a word, Lord: SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

Ezekiel 34:26 I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

Zechariah 10:1 Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.

Daniel Whittle penned a song titled “Showers of Blessings” many years ago. It’s an old familiar song that we sang in church yesterday morning. The words rang in my ears, and I felt the showers of blessings coming down from above. “Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need: Mercy drops round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.”

This made me think about all of the showers of blessings and the mercy drops that the Lord has bestowed on me and my family over the years. We can think about the showers figuratively or literally. Here on the farm, those literal showers can be true blessings. We pray for rain for the crops and rain for the grass for the cattle. There is nothing like a sweet summer shower to cool things off in the midst of a hot Mississippi day. Those glorious showers produce delicious crops in the summer such as sweet corn, tomatoes, peas, beans, squash, cucumbers, and oh so much more. Those showers are refreshing and much needed, but they don’t even compare to the figurative showers that God bestows upon us.

A couple of nights ago, our nightly Bible reading was in 2 Chronicles 14-16. King Asa was the new king, and there was peace in the land of Judah for ten years. Asa did what was good in the sight of the Lord, and he sought the Lord diligently. Because he sought the Lord, his kingdom enjoyed a period of peace. He was able to build fortified towns throughout Judah. God gave him a rest from his enemies. When he did go to battle, he asked God for help and placed his trust in God alone, and he as victorious. Whenever the king or his people sought the Lord, they found him and He was with them. However, in the 36th year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah. Instead of seeking the Lord as he had previously, Asa removed silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and sent these to Kind Ben-hadad of Aram asking that they make a treaty. He asked Ben-hadad to break his treaty with King Baasha. King Asa didn’t rely on God, but rather on man, and because of this, God removed His blessing from King Asa. It was even noted that King Asa developed a serious foot disease, and he still didn’t seek the Lord’s help. He trusted in physicians only, and did not call on God. He died in the 41st year of his reign.

As I read these chapters, I couldn’t help but wonder what in the world was Asa thinking? He had been so close in his walk with God. He was leaning on the Lord, and was receiving showers of blessings. But then, after God had taken such great care of him through the years, he suddenly decided to rely on himself, man, and his own plans. God always wants to bless his kids, but let’s face it sometimes God can’t bless His kids because they are living outside of His will. If we are honest, we would all have to admit that there have been times when we have tried to do things on our own. There have been times when we have been walking outside of God’s will for us. In Ezekiel 34:26, God has promised a time when He would regather His people and pour out His blessings upon them. The Lord promised to provide them with bumper crops in their fields, complete safety from all harm, and abundant rain,.He promised showers of blessings. God wants His people to regather in His name for His purpose. He wants us to follow His Word and live for Him and not for ourselves.

This world is a mess! As a country, we have tried doing things our own way, and we have slowly walked away from God. It is time for all of God’s children to regather and turn back to Him. It is time to seek His will and His ways, and for us to lean fully on Him. I can honestly say that God has showered us with so many more blessings that we deserve. Those mercy drops have been humongous at times, and I’m forever grateful. I just can’t get over all of the grace and mercy that Jesus has poured down on me. I pray that we can regather in His name, and we can enjoy a long, luxurious shower of blessing from our heavenly Father!