Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need: Mercy-drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead. (Old Spiritual Hymn by Daniel W. Whittle - 1883)

If you live in the Panhandle of Texas, you have probably noticed something of late that we haven't seen in these parts for over a year: Green grass. After the lowest 12 month rain fall on record, we have been getting a bit of moisture in recent months. Now, we are still very much in a drought, but we are getting a great start on emerging from it and green grass is starting to show up after a year long absence. And, green is a very, very, very beautiful color!

Droughts cause things to die. They cause farmers to go bankrupt and food prices to go up. Droughts alter the landscape. They cause rivers and lakes to disappear. They kill the crops and the trees. They change lives. Droughts are so harsh, in fact, that even the most depraved of men would never willingly want to experience one.

Isn't it interesting, however, that many people willingly accept droughts of a spiritual nature? For one reason or another, they just get rid of God from their lives. They stop attending worship, they read their Bible less and less, and they even stop praying. When this happens, the inevitable drought begins. And, just like in a physical drought, all of the beneficial things start to disappear. They lose their peace and their joy and their love for their fellow man. In short, they begin to die.

While no one can control a physical drought, we can all choose to avoid droughts of a spiritual variety. So, if you have noticed a very definite lack of "green grass" in your life, maybe it's time to invite God back in. You can start with repentance. Then you can begin talking to God through your prayers and listening to Him through His word. You might even try getting back to the worship again. If you will do these things, before you know it, you will once again begin to enjoy those showers of blessings that we all so desperately need. And, when your life starts to "green back up", you will find that green is indeed a very, very, very beautiful color.

I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. Ezekiel 34:26, NIV