Raining Blessings
God has made me fruitful
in the land of my suffering. (Genesis 41:52)
A poet stands by the window watching a summer shower. It is a fierce
downpour, beating & pounding the earth. But the poet, in his mind's
eye, sees more than a rain shower falling. He sees a myriad of lovely
flowers raining down, soon breaking forth from the freshly watered
earth, and filling it with their matchless beauty & fragrance. And
so he sings:
It isn't raining rain to me-it's raining daffodils;
In every dripping drop I see wildflowers upon the hills.
A cloud of gray engulfs the day, & overwhelms the town;
It isn't raining rain to me-it's raining roses down.
Perhaps you are undergoing some trial as God's child, & you are
saying to Him, "O God, it is raining very hard on me tonight, and
this test seems beyond my power to endure. Disappointments are pouring
in, washing away & utterly defeating my chosen plans. My trembling
heart is grieved & is cowering at the intensity of my suffering.
Surely the rains of affliction are beating down upon my soul."
Dear friend, you are completely mistaken. God is not raining rain on
you-He is raining blessings. If you will only believe your Father's
Word, you will realize that springing up beneath the pounding rain are
spiritual flowers. And they are more beautiful & fragrant than those
that ever grew before in your storm-less & suffering-free life.
You can see the rain, but can you also see the flowers? You are
suffering through these tests, but know that God sees sweet flowers of
faith springing up on your life beneath these very trials. You try to
escape the pain, yet God sees tender compassion for other sufferings
finding birth in your soul. Your heart winces at the pain of heavy
grief, but God sees the sorrow deepening & enriching your life.
No, my friend, it is not raining afflictions on you. It is raining
tenderness, love, compassion, patience, & a thousand other flowers
& fruits of the blessed Holy Spirit. And they are bringing to your
life spiritual enrichment that all the prosperity & ease of this
world could never produce in your innermost being. J.M.M.
from: Streams In The Desert
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