Ezekiel 34:26b-27a – I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. (NIV)

I felt like Elijah as I stood in the yard of my mountain home early in June 2021. "God, I see that little cloud. I know that You can use it to bring us rain. We need it so badly." Arizona had been in a drought for several years; the vegetation was scorched. We'd already had several large fires and more were starting.

Daily, I looked at the clouds, prayed for the monsoons to arrive, and waited impatiently for an answer.

Finally, on June 23rd, I recorded in my journal: "Rain — several hours of gentle rain." It was a start. A few days later, a little more fell. Every few days, a little more, until July 22nd, when our area got more than five inches of rain in one day.

As the rain pounded on the metal roof of my recreational vehicle for hours that day, I was glad that I was sheltered inside. I pictured Elijah telling Ahab in 1 Kings 18 to climb into his chariot and head for home or the rain would stop him. Then, I had a vivid image of Elijah hitching up his robe, and using special strength from God, whizzing by Ahab to head for shelter.

Now, fields are a vivid green, flowers randomly bloom everywhere, and trees are lifting their branches to the sun, full of moisture. My prayers were answered. We literally received showers of blessing.

The old hymn, "Showers of blessing" by Daniel Whittle, based on Ezekiel 34:26-27, portrays our longing for showers of blessing in our lives. Writing after the Civil War, Whittle knew that God's people needed a spiritual refreshing that only He could bring.

Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need.
Mercy drops 'round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

We may receive the showers in gentle drops or in thunderous poundings. They may come in a season of our lives when God knows that we need them desperately. Whittle calls those "seasons of refreshing, sent from the Saviour above". On the other hand, we may have to wait a season or two — and trust that God is in control. Either way, like the Israelites, we will know that He is the Lord, Who hears our prayers and rescues us from whatever has enslaved us.

What showers of blessing do you need to pray for today?

Prayer: Lord, like David in Psalm 40, we want to wait patiently for You, knowing that You are inclined toward us and have heard our cry. Bring us showers of blessing in the various seasons of our lives so that we can be a blessing to others. Amen.

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About the author:

Sharon Cook <craftercook@gmail.com>
Apache Junction, Arizona, USA
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