There Shall Be Showers of Blessing

We must have revival. In relationship to the land of Palestine, the withholding of rain was a sign and seal of God’s judgment upon Israel. Moses warned the people that, if they sinned against the Lord, the Lord would make the rain of their land powder and dust (). That form of judgment was carried out repeatedly in Israel’s history (). Whenever God’s people repented and returned to Jehovah, there was abundant rain upon the land ().

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is compared in the Bible to rain from Heaven. When the believer is obedient to God’s Word, the Holy Spirit works graciously and effectively in his heart. When he is disobedient, the Holy Spirit’s blessing is withheld. While I recognize that rain is the primary reference of many of the passages we refer to in this message, I feel that we in no way violate the general teaching of Scripture by applying these references to spiritual blessings.

Our whole subject is summed up beautifully in . “Showers of blessing”—what a wonderful promise! Let us relate it to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

I. The need for showers of blessing.

A. Only through such showers can we present God’s ideal for His people in the world; ; cf. .

B. Only through such showers, symbolic of the Holy Spirit’s ministry, can we prevent a total drought and stop the church in the twentieth century from becoming a “dust bowl”; .

C. Only when the church receives such showers can we produce a harvest; ; cf. .

II. The promise of showers of blessing.

A. The series of promises given to Israel in .

1. The promise of judgment upon false leaders of Israel; vv. 20–22.

2. The promise of government for God’s people; vv. 23, 24.

3. The promise of enjoyment of God’s covenant; v. 25.

B. The series of promises given to God’s people.

1. Showers of blessing are assured by the Lord; .

Malachi 3:10 KJV 1900

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

2. Showers of blessing are abundant; .

Isaiah 44:3 KJV 1900

For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, And floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, And my blessing upon thine offspring:

3. Showers of blessing are adequate to meet our need; .

Psalm 68:9 KJV 1900

Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, Whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.

4. Showers of blessing must be sought in faith; ; , .

Ezekiel 36:37 KJV 1900

Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.

Matthew 7:7 KJV 1900

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Matthew 7:8 KJV 1900

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

III. The results of showers of blessing.

A. Revival; .

Habakkuk 3:2 KJV 1900

O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make known; In wrath remember mercy.

B. Growth; .

Hosea 14:5–7 KJV 1900

I will be as the dew unto Israel: He shall grow as the lily, And cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, And his beauty shall be as the olive tree, And his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: The scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

C. Harvest; , .

1 Corinthians 3:6 KJV 1900

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

1 Corinthians 3:7 KJV 1900

So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

We may be dry. We may not see many showers of blessing. However, if our hearts are seeking God’s face, if we are laying hold of His promise, and if we believe that the God of Elijah is still alive today, then there will yet be a deluge of blessing upon the church ().

Hosea 6:3 KJV 1900

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; And he shall come unto us as the rain, As the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Dr. Henry Ward Beecher said: “We must have revival. It must rain faster, or we perish with drought!”