Rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
—Joel 2:23
Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
“The prayers go up, and the blessings come down…” The words to this children’s song are only half right, because God sends his blessings many times even when we don’t pray. But just as we love the special smell that comes with a drought-breaking rain, God loves the aroma of his children’s joy, especially when he is the source of their delight! So, dear friends, let’s find reasons to rejoice with the seasons changing to autumn (Northern Hemisphere) and spring (Southern Hemisphere). As the apostle Paul told the Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near (Philippians 4:4-5).
My Prayer…
Holy God and tender Father, you are our great delight. In the changing of our seasons, you remain our dependable, faithful, and loving God. You are our rock and fortress; you are our tender shepherd; and you are our solid mountain that cannot be shaken or moved. Your blessings and grace shower down upon us and fill us with joy. We can’t wait for the day we get to see you face to face and delight in your presence forever. Until then, O LORD, we will rejoice in anticipation as you shower us with your blessings. In Jesus’ glorious name, we pray. Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
