“He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the
good,
and
sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Matthew
5:45
It’s raining today...again!
I’m more of a sunny day kind of person.
But this morning I remembered the words of this hymn, written by Daniel W. Whittle in 1883.
Showers of Blessing
There shall be showers of
blessing; This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons
refreshing, Sent from the Savior above.
Showers
of blessing, Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy-drops
round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.
There shall be showers of
blessing—Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys, Sound
of abundance of rain.
There shall be showers of
blessing; Send them upon us, O Lord!
Grant to us now a refreshing; Come,
and now honor Thy Word.
There shall be showers of
blessing; O that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing, Now
as on Jesus we call!
There shall be showers of
blessing, If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons
refreshing, If we let God have His way.
As the song weaved its way through my consciousness I began to appreciate
the opportunity to sit with my Bible and devotional books,
hot coffee,
fragrant
candle burning,
sounds of raindrops hitting the deck.
Retirement has become a ‘season of refreshing’ allowing me to reflect on a lifetime of busy, active service while waiting on God to help me know my
place in the now. And I admit, that
sometimes it is hard to wait and ‘let God have His way.’ For me it is more about knowing what not to do, than what to do. There are so many opportunities but
I’m not looking for time fillers. What I want is to walk in trust and obedience
to the One who sends the times of refreshing and blessing. And I want to live a life that refreshes
others.
In this present climate of accusations, hatred, cultural and political upheaval
and uncertainty, perhaps a good way to start a rainy day is to do what Johnson
Oatman wrote in this hymn from 1897:
Count Your Blessings
When upon life's billows you are
tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking
all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name
them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the
Lord hath done.
Refrain:
Count
your blessings, name them one by one;
Count
your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count
your blessings, name them one by one;
Count
your many blessings, see what God hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load
of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are
called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev'ry
doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the
days go by.
When you look at others with
their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised
you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings, money
cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your
home on high.
So, amid the conflict, whether
great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is
over all;
Count your many blessings, angels
will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your
journey's end.
Happy Counting!
Love,
Ruth
Ruth
