Showers of Blessing

 Over the past week South Georgia has had more rain than we've seen in a very long time.  We have water standing in places on our property that I've not seen in the 21 years I've lived here.  Our area has been in a drought for many months and graciously the Lord has blessed us with the abundant showers of rain we needed.  I fear some areas are flooded, but as of yet only property and not lives have been affected. 

As Christians, we may face drought periods in our spiritual life.  Times when we just don't feel as close to the Lord as we once may have.  Our hearts feel dry as dust and we miss the fellowship with the Lord.  Be assured, God has not moved.  He wants us to be near Him and He promises that if we meet with Him on His terms He will refresh us and restore sweet fellowship with Him.  Then His blessings will be rained down on us as showers and not mere sprinkles. 

  

I'm reminded of the wonderful hymn, "There Shall Be Showers of Blessing"

written in 1883 by Daniel W. Whittle. 

There shall be showers of blessing, This is the promise of love;

There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above.

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, Oh, that today they might fall,

Now as to God we're confessing, Now as on Jesus we call!

Showers of blessing,

Showers of blessing we need;

Mercy drops round us are falling,

But for the showers we plead.

“And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing;

and I will cause the shower to come down in his season;

there shall be showers of blessing.”  

Ezekiel 34:26

God's blessings are refreshing, reviving, abundant and promises of love.

God's blessings are promised in His Word.

God's blessings come exclusivly from Him. 

God controls not only the spiritual but the physical blessings.

God bestows His blessings when we confess and call on Him.

Dear Friend, I pray that there will be SHOWERS OF BLESSING in your day!

~Pamelyn

 

My Testimony

I haven't written in awhile because something astonishing has happened to me and until now I just couldn't find the words to write about it.  After having what I call a "head knowledge" for many years of salvation, I came to the realization that I simply had never accepted the Lord within my heart.  That changed a few weeks ago and I was saved by God's marvelous grace on January 27th! 

I had had an experience with the Lord at a very early age but I know that was not salvation.  At the time I was the preacher's daughter and felt it was time to be baptized.  Through the years I made it a point to fill my head with Bible knowledge.  I taught Sunday School and VBS, I led devotions in women's ministries and served as moderator in my state's Women's Auxiliary of American Baptist churches.  All this time I had convinced myself I was a child of God because of the things I was involved in doing.  My so-called Christian life sort of snow-balled from one project to another without any real meaning deep within me. 

I began reading blogs a few years ago and really enjoyed what other women had to say.   I felt I had something to contribute to the blog world so I gathered my courage and began writing this blog.  I have to tell you, being accountable for writing a Christian blog changed the way I felt about myself.  I felt an obligation to write only the truth and that's when the Lord began to deal with me about my soul.  It began with feelings of doubt.  I found I was constantly reassuring myself that I was indeed saved.  Pride prevented me from seeing my own need for the right relationship with the Lord.  It dawned on me that a saved person should not have to reassure themselves on a regular basis that they are saved.  I, of course, had an answer for my frequent doubting though - it was the devil deceiving me. 

At the beginning of this year I was so miserable and felt such a burden I couldn't function.  I could find no peace and the thoughts beginning to form in my mind that I was lost without a Savior shook me to the ground.  The Lord is so wonderful and merciful.  He convicted me with three very clear mesages of just what I needed. 
    
     First of all, He spoke to me through conviction that I was wrong to think this was the devil causing my doubts.  The devil will cause a person to doubt the truth of God's Word and will lead a person away from the Lord.  But, the devil will never lead one TO the Lord.  I felt I was being led toward the Lord, not away from Him.  God was calling me to Himself.

     Next, the Lord made available to me an article in a publication about a preacher's wife that after many years realized she was not saved.  This woman was so filled with fear that she was convinced if she made her lost condition  public she would be hurting her husband's ministry.  She finally admitted to her husband her fears and need for salvation.  His comment was "well we can take care of that right now".  She wrote about the wonderful peace she now has within and that her husband's ministry has only been enhanced.

     Finally, our pastor's message on January 27th was about the woman with the issue of blood  (Mark 5:25-34).  I realized I was this woman and like her, I had tried everything within my own power to take care of what only Jesus could fix.  I was terrified knowing I was going to have to make public the fact that I had been deceiving myself and others for a very long time.  How in the world was I going to admit I was not a child of God after all this time?

I'm so happy to say that I did make public the fact that I needed to be saved once and for all.  On January 27th I accepted the Lord during the invitation and immediately the burden I had been carrying around for so long lifted.  I now have peace within and a calm assurance that I will spend eternity in heaven with my Savior.

I am so thankful to my dear family, church family and Christian friends who are rejoicing with me and are praying for me.  My prayer is that my testimony will help another person know that you can have peace and blessed assurance within by accepting Jesus as your personal Savior.