Key Verse

“I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing” (Ezek. 34:26).

Decorations

Hang open umbrellas from the ceiling with the handle side down. Cut raindrops from blue construction paper and hang them using fishing line around edge of umbrella. You can find examples on the Internet. Create a bulletin board or poster with large raindrops scattered around using blue and purple construction paper. Paste the key verse in the middle of the bulletin board. (This will be used when women are reflecting on the study and devotional).

Opening

Sometimes we feel like we have a cloud hanging over our heads; that nothing is going right. You might be an EEYORE!  (Show the YouTube clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQI0E1WCLMU). It’s easy to focus on the negative, especially when the storms of life are particularly nasty. I want you to think about the things that bring you down and that you worry about. Maybe it’s ill health, the health of your family, finances, relationships or family concerns. Once you have two or three things in your mind, go to the bulletin board and write these things on the blue raindrops. (Instruct the women that they don’t have to share the names, but rather just record the type of concern.)

Living the Lyrics

Hand out the lyrics to the song “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” by BJ Thomas. You can also play the song on CD, or from YouTube. Today we are going to look a little closer at these lyrics from a Christian perspective. Ask some of the women to look up verses as you go along. Allow time for discussion after each lyric and verse listed below:

Raindrops keep falling on my head—John 16:33

I just done some talking to the “Son” (the song says, “sun”)—1 Thessalonians 5:17

The blues they send to greet me won’t defeat me—Romans 8:37

I ain’t gonna stop the rain by complaining—Philippians 2:14

Because I’m free, nothing’s worrying me—2 Corinthians 3:17

Craft—Scripture Journaling

Make copies of Song #314, “Showers of Blessing,” from The Salvation Army Song Book. Using markers, highlighters, glue, scissors and card stock invite the women to journal (doodle) their feelings when reading this song. There is no wrong way to do this—the women can do whatever they want based on the words they read and how the words affect them. (For further information and samples of scripture journaling look at the 2018 issue of WMR, “Declare His Glory,” June, Worship “Thy Holy Temple,” page 106.)

Showers of Blessings

As I sat in a small dimly lit chapel in Nagercoil, India, an elderly soldier took the stage to lead our closing song. That part of India had been experiencing a bad drought that summer and many were praying for rain. I listened as the gentleman said without any doubt in his voice, “God will bring the rain we need.”  As we all sang, “Showers of Blessing” we could hear the tap–tap–tap of raindrops hitting the metal roof. We left the chapel that night in the middle of a rainstorm and we all praised God for His faithfulness.

Sometimes we pray for the rain to quench our thirsty land. Sometimes we pray for the rain to stop, because we need the healing rays of the sun. The amazing thing is that God knows what we need when we need it, and He is powerful enough to use every situation for our good. The problem lies in our response to the situations we are put in. We might not recognize that something hard and painful is what will bring us great blessings. Let’s read again our key verse, Ezekiel 34:26 “I will bless My people and their homes around My holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing.” Are we able to live 2 Timothy 4:5?  “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.”  If we keep a clear mind set on Christ we can see the blessings through the storm.

Corrie ten Boom captures this concept in her book, The Hiding Place. Her family was persecuted for hiding Jews during the Holocaust. She and her sister ended up in deplorable conditions in one of the many concentration camps. These women kept their faith in Christ through the most horrific situations. In one instance, Corrie’s sister encourages her to thank God for the lice in their bunks. Corrie balks at this, but grudgingly does so at her sister’s prompting. They were later to find out that the guards avoided their building because of the lice. They were able to hold Bible studies and avoid detection all because of lice. In The Hiding Place, Corrie says, “No pit is so deep that God is not deeper still.”

Can you trust that today?  Those “raindrops” in your life might just be God’s blessings flowing over you. As we listen to Laura Story’s “Blessings” (YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ), I’m going to ask you to meditate on what God has done for you. Especially think of those things you thought would destroy you and ended up making you stronger in the Lord. When you are ready, come to the bulletin board and write your blessings in the purple raindrops. Let’s never forget that the “Son” always shines—even in the darkest storms.