Showers of Blessing – Ezekiel 34

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

The journey of life has many challenges and trials, but it is carefully supported on a lattice of blessings from God.  Undeserved favor and grace keep us going through the hardest of times and let us know that God is truly there and really does love us – in fact, He loves each of us much more than anyone else in our lives does.

God promised to restore complete blessing to ancient Israel, even when they were exiled in Babylon as a consequence of their idol worship and unrighteousness.  The prophet Ezekiel gave this message from the Lord to his fellow exiles:

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 in our day.  Many more blessings will come as people’s hearts begin to be more and more open to the Lord and His word.

Christ came and died as a sacrifice for sin to remove the barriers of unholiness between God and all people.  By faith, we are “justified” by His death on the cross, “just as if” we had never sinned and separated ourselves from God.  And in rising from the dead, Jesus opened the floodgates of new blessing and life for us.  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 in a shower 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 the tears of heartbreak, and to laugh and share joy with us as the greatest dreams and aspirations of our hearts are generously fulfilled in Him. Being cleansed of our sin and failures enables even the worst of us to live eternally in His loving presence, and this is the greatest joy of all.

Blessings show up when we least deserve or expect them.  God is not just waiting there for us to slip up so that He can punish us, as so many believe.  Rather, His hand of blessing is extended to us, even now.  By grace we have been saved, through faith, and are forgiven and cleansed to enjoy a life of peace in His presence.

May you enjoy His shower of good blessings today.

Reflection

Was there a good turn of events in your life that took you completely by surprise, coming at a time when you had expected the worst?

It has been said that gratitude is the antidote for self-pity.  It is also the antidote for so many other negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

Here is a prayer challenge for all of us today – let us thank God for five blessings He has placed in our life and hold onto those throughout the day.

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