Showers of Blessing – Ezekiel 34

“I never expected things to work out the way they did.  It was just blessings out of left field.”  Skip J.

My friend Skip used this baseball analogy one day as he looked back on an unexpected blessing from the Lord. God had suddenly and completely resolved what had been the biggest problem and stressor in his life, a very large and crushing financial burden.

Our journey in life has many challenges and trials, but even these are carefully supported upon a lattice of blessing from God.  Undeserved favor and grace keeps us going through the hardest of times, and lets us know that God truly is there and really does love us – in fact, He loves each of us more than anyone else in our life does. God is love.

The Lord promised to restore His blessing to ancient Israel, even after they were exiled in Babylon due to their complete rejection of Him through idol worship and extreme unrighteousness.  The prophet Ezekiel delivered God’s message to the exiles there:

²⁵ “I will make a covenant of peace with my people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear. ²⁶ I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing. ²⁷ The orchards and fields of my people will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken their chains of slavery and rescued them from those who enslaved them, then they will know that I am the Lord. ²⁸ They will no longer be prey for other nations, and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will frighten them.

²⁹ “And I will make their land famous for its crops, so my people will never again suffer from famines or the insults of foreign nations. ³⁰ In this way, they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them. And they will know that they, the people of Israel, are my people, says the Sovereign Lord. ³¹ You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my people, and I am your God. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”  Ezekiel 34:25-31 (NLT)

Thousands of years later, many of these prophecies are being fulfilled today.  That land is world famous for its diverse crops, the quality of its harvest bounty, and its agricultural innovations and irrigation methods. Many more blessings will come as people’s hearts begin to be open and willing to turn to the Lord and His word, as He draws them.

We, too, are beneficiaries of God’s grace and unmerited favor. Just when things looked the darkest, Jesus Christ came and died as a sacrifice for sin, removing all barriers between God and people who would receive Him in faith. Through this generous gift to us and offering to the Father, Christ’s believers are now justified, “just as if” we had never sinned.  In rising from the dead, Jesus opened the floodgates of blessing, granting us a new and eternal life with Him. As the apostle Paul wrote:

⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Romans 5:8-11 (NASB)

We celebrate God’s goodness and the continuous showering of His blessings.  In all things, Christ is with us – to guide us through our most difficult trials, to mourn with us as He wipes away our tears of heartbreak, and to laugh and share incredible joy with us as the deepest aspirations of our hearts are graciously fulfilled in Him. Being cleansed of our sin and failures enables even the worst of us to live eternally in His holy and loving presence. This greatest joy of all shows up in our lives when we least deserve or expect it. 

God is not just waiting for us to slip up or fail, so that He can deny or punish us, as so many believe.  Quite the opposite. His loving hand of grace and blessing is extended to us, even now, yearning to establish a close relationship with us.  By His grace we have been saved, through faith, and believers are completely forgiven and cleansed to enjoy an eternal life of peace in His presence.

May we all turn to Him to fully enjoy the shower of His good blessing today.

Reflection

Has there been a positive turn of events in your life that took you completely by surprise, coming when you least expected it?

It has been said that gratitude is the antidote for many negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Can you list five blessings that God has placed in your life?

Lord, thank You for the countless blessings You have given us, today and every day.  As we reflect upon Your love and blessings, accept our gratitude and thankfulness.  We totally depend upon You and Your generous grace for every good thing in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Have a blessed and beautiful day in the Lord’s blessing today.