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Showers of Blessing
by Jerry Ousley In the middle of a hot summer afternoon after a long period of no rain nothing is as welcomed as a calm, refreshing and soothing summer shower. When we were kids it was always fun on those particular scorching hot afternoons to stand out in the rain and dance around. It was better than taking a shower in the house. It was different and somehow spontaneous. The stickiness of the heat on our skins was replaced by a refreshing coolness that changed our moods. Instead of being irritated and short tempered, fueled by the heat, we were now playful, happy and we felt like everything had changed. It was as if some magical potion was being poured down from the skies and we were fortunate enough to be emerged and bathed in it. I guess I'm showing our "redneck" upbringing now but I remember that often in the summertime when these showers would pour down Dad and Mom would rush out in the rain with a bucket of soap and quickly wipe down the car and let the rain rinse it off. It was a free carwash! I guess in a way that was a blessing too. Ezekiel 34:26 talks about these "showers of blessing." It says, "And I will make them and the places all round My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing." If you read this entire chapter what you will discover is that God, through the prophet Ezekiel, was addressing the leadership of Israel in type. This message was aimed at the nation of Israel but is applicable to our own situation in the Church of today. It talks about the leadership as shepherds over the flock. They were accused of feeding themselves while letting the flock go hungry. It says that they made clothing from the wool of the sheep and they filled themselves with mutton from the flock. But they wouldn't lift a finger to care for the flock. In essence they were merely raping the flock for what they could get. They were making themselves rich from the flock. But it doesn't stop there. It goes on to say that the stronger sheep of the flock preyed on the weaker members, shoving them with their horns and pushing them out of their way. It depicts a minority of weaker sheep being pushed around and abused not only by those who were to feed them and care for them but also their own peers who were stronger. This is a very dangerous situation and it is happening in many congregations around the world. There seems to be a push to exploit the kingdom of God for personal gain. Without pointing an accusing finger I want to tell you that if you have been a victim of abuse from within the Church, God has not forgotten you. Don't blame God and don't hold it against Him. If you have been a victim so has God. I want to tell you that He isn't going to take it much longer. Vengeance belongs to Him and when the time is right He will execute it. God holds you in a special place in His heart and you will see justice. But I also want to tell you that you don't have to worry about these wolves in sheep's clothing. A time is coming very soon when God is going to remove you from that situation and take you to a place where you will feel those refreshing showers of blessing. Just as He promised His people Israel, so He has promised you. It may seem like hope has been taken from you and that the congregation you have so dearly loved has stabbed you in the back. But soon you'll find yourself on the hill of God standing in a refreshing shower that will wash away all those feelings and restore you to a calm and peaceful place in God's showers of blessing. Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |