by Jordyn van Gaalen

Floodgates and Showers

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“Test me in this, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
Malachi 3:10 NIV

God showers so many blessings that there isn’t enough room for them all. There is so much we take for granted. When things get difficult, we often focus on the negative. When things are smooth sailing, we forget that every single thing is a gift. We were born with nothing; we were created of dust and God’s breath. Everything we have in this life is from God. Our family and friends, our job and the means it provides, and the food on our tables. 

“I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.”
Ezekiel 34:26 NIV

Blessings come in God’s timing. We don’t always understand the when and the why, but we can hold fast to God’s promises. He will bless us, in ways that may be different from our expectations, but will nonetheless be beyond what we could have imagined. 

There may be times in our lives when we are in need. We will walk through struggles and famines. In Ezekiel, he uses the word “season.” Seasons are constant, but they change. Summer to winter, the earth grows, the vegetation dies, and there is once again renewal. When we have plenty, there are others going through seasons of need. We can pour out those gifts and blessings in a way that will help others. In helping others, they may know the goodness and faithfulness of God.

In both passages, the words used are “showers” and “floodgates.” I’ve been caught in rainstorms that I would categorize as floodgates, and they sure are powerful. It is something to behold, when rain pours down in sheets that appear relentless. And these are the comparisons God uses as he promises that he will send showers of blessings.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado