How do you recognize a blessing?

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Recently I was walking the roads of The Harbor at Possum Kingdom Lake. Our place at the Harbor has become a spiritual harbor for Jim and me. Anne G. Lotz’s “7 7 7 An Urgent Call to Prayer” was my motivation to walk that day. Anne had suggested we spend the first hour of the day worshipping God. Walking those roads, early in the morning, made it easy to worship the One who created all that I saw. I passed a large deer that watched me from a distance, several rabbits, and an assortment of beautiful birds.

As I walked past the lake I was reminded of the drought we are experiencing here in Texas. I had seen the weather report that promised there would be no rain that week. I looked at the blue sky and small, wispy clouds that verified the forecast. But I decided to ask God for rain – anyway. We headed home at about 4:00 that afternoon. Imagine my surprise as our windshield became spattered with raindrops. I grinned and told God I understood, and would write this blog post.

My oldest son’s father-in-law is a member of First Baptist Wichita Falls, TX. We were together not long ago when I heard his watch alarm go off at 10:01 in the morning. He told us that the church members had been asked to pray for rain at 10:01 a.m. or p.m. each day. I thought that was a good idea, but then a few days later I was watching the news. I looked at the weather map for North Texas and the ONLY rain that was showing on the radar was directly over Wichita Falls. A couple days later Wichita Falls made the news again because they had received a LOT of rain in a very short time. I knew then, what I knew yesterday – God wants us to ask him for rain, and faithfully acknowledge him when it comes.

God wants people to know him. One of the ways people notice God is through his creation. One of the ways God has always blessed, or withheld his blessing, is by granting or withholding rain. Water is the most basic need for all humanity. Water is usually taken for granted, until we realize our desperate need for it. I think God is withholding the rain until we begin to recognize and acknowledge that he is the only one who can provide it. We need to pray for rain and then loudly acknowledge God’s provision when the clouds appear. We need to pray publicly and openly for God’s blessing so that those around us will understand why it is raining. God wants to bless, but will he? Will we recognize and acknowledge his blessing when it comes?

James 5:18 – Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
Leviticus 26:4 – Then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Zechariah 10:1 – Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.
Jeremiah 5:24 – They do not say in their hearts, “Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.”
1 Kings 8:35 – When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them . . .

There are MANY more verses about God withholding the rain, and God sending floods. Both shout that God’s people need to pray, acknowledge him as Creator God and submit to him as King. Churches around the state of Texas are calling their members to pray. I would like to join them. I think God wants his people to pray and bring their lives in submitted obedience to his will, his plans and his Kingdom purposes. I think God is shouting to us as we watch the lake levels in our state. Let’s pray. I think FBC Wichita Falls has a great idea. What if we set the alarms on our phones, watches or any other device we will hear? Set it to go off at 10:01 – every day.

People are going to notice. People are going to ask. People are going to find out that God is real, powerful and the Creator of the rain. People are going to recognize the blessing, when it begins to rain. This isn’t just another blog post. God brought rain to our windshield when it wasn’t supposed to rain. It didn’t rain long, but it rained long enough for me to know that God wanted me to write this blog post.

Will you pray? Will you tell others to pray? I don’t suggest very often that you forward one of my blogs – but I’d suggest you forward this one. God is shouting – we need to listen. You will recognize his blessing when it comes. A lot of people will – if we pray, obey and point people to God.

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Posted by Janet Denison

Janet Denison teaches others to live an authentic faith through her writing, speaking, and teaching ministry. She blogs weekly at JanetDenison.org and often at ChristianParenting.org. She is also the author of The Songs Tell the Story and Content to Be Good, Called to Be Godly, among other books. Janet and her husband, Dr. Jim Denison, live in Dallas, Texas. When they’re not writing or ministering to others, they enjoy spending time with their grown children and their four still-growing grandchildren.