Trusting God's Abundant Provision
Ezekiel 34:26 (ESV)
And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.
Back in 1883, evangelist Daniel W. Whittle wrote the hymn, "Showers of Blessing," pulling his inspiration straight from this verse in Ezekiel. He teamed up with James McGranahan, music director for evangelist D.L. Moody, and together they created a song that would resonate in churches across the country, and is still sung in worship today.
The late 1800s were a time of rapid change—factories everywhere, growing cities, and lots of uncertainty. Sound familiar? People needed to hear that God's promises were still good even when everything seemed to be shifting. Whittle and McGranahan gave them a song that offered both comfort and timeless truth.
Just as now, rain was very important in the ancient world. Everything depended on it. When Ezekiel talked about "showers of blessing," people immediately understood—rain was life itself, fresh hope, God's provision in its most tangible form.
In this promise, God doesn't talk about a drizzle or an occasional sprinkle. He says showers—plural. The Hebrew word here is geshem, which means a real downpour, a soaking rain that saturates everything it touches. Multiple downpours of blessing, each one arriving exactly when it's supposed to. That tells us so much about who God is. He's not stingy with His grace, carefully rationing it out. No, He pours it out generously, giving us more than we even knew we needed.
It is important to note that these showers come "in their season." God's timing is always perfect, even when it doesn't match what we had in mind. Sometimes we're in a spiritual dry spell, wondering where God's provision has gone. But just like farmers trust that rain will come when it's supposed to, we need to trust that God knows exactly when we're ready for what He wants to give us.
So what does this 142-year-old hymn say to us today? Simply this: God's faithfulness doesn't change with the times. Whether dealing with the Industrial Age or scrolling through today's news, the promise is the same. God sees you. He knows what you need. And He provides abundantly, right on schedule. Living with that expectation means holding onto hope when things get hard, staying faithful even when you're not seeing results yet, and keeping your eyes open for how God shows up—through a friend's encouragement, a new opportunity, unexpected peace, or strength you didn't think you had. That waiting season isn't God forgetting about you. It's Him preparing you for what's coming.
Whittle captured this hope beautifully in the first verse of his hymn:
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.
Prayer:
Father, we thank You that even today, mercy-drops are falling around us. Even so, today we plead for more—for the showers of blessing You've promised. Help us to trust in Your perfect timing and to recognize every gift You send. Open our hearts to receive Your grace, and give us patience to wait expectantly for all You have prepared for us. Amen.
This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.
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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.
