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“April Showers”
Key
Verse:
“When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,
it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect
after the rains!” (Psalm 84:6 NLT)
Devotion:
I
gaped at the water pouring down through the vents in the ceiling. A surreal
feeling overtook my thoughts—I couldn’t move. However, after a moment, I began
to wade through the icy water, crying out in dismay, “Oh, no! Oh, no!”
Apparently,
a pipe had frozen and split during a recent cold snap. Then, when the warm
weather brought a springtime thaw, I received April-like showers inside my
home. As I walked upstairs to call a restoration service, I spotted my plaque
that reads, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about
learning to dance in the rain.” I had to smile. I could choose to “dance” in my
rain. Yes, my home was a mess, but so what?
Many
of my friends would trade my “rains” for their Valley of Weeping. Their lives
hold divorce, illness, death---myriads of places of sorrows. God doesn’t
promise us a trouble- free life, but He does say that
Valleys of Weeping will eventually become pools of blessing. We choose our
attitudes. We can decide to trust Him during the difficult seasons or we can
bury ourselves in bitter self-pity.
Although
the pain of life may linger, the Lord will lead us out of the Valley of
Weeping. Let’s take to heart Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and
take heart and wait for the Lord (NIV).
I
recall the lines from a childhood poem, “April showers bring May flowers.”
Hopefully, after everything in my basement is cleaned up and restored, I won’t
discover any flowers growing in the carpet. But, I will look for those pools of
blessing that the Lord will provide through my homeowner’s mishap.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, life is hard. Walk me through the Valley
of Weeping. Keep my heart focused on You and blessings You provide. Open my
eyes to the pools of blessing that You supply. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application
steps:
Read
Psalm 84. Journal your thoughts on each verse and how it applies to your life.
Memorize Psalm 84:12, “O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”
(NIV)
Reflections:
Do
I dance through the storms of life?
Can
I encourage someone who is going through a Valley of Weeping?
What
“pools of blessing” have I discovered after I have gone through a difficult
time?
Power
verses:
Psalm
135:7, “He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning
with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. (NIV)
Isaiah
55:12, “You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into
song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!” (NLT)
Matthew
5:45b, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on
the righteous and the unrighteous.” (NIV)
© 2008 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
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