As spring starts to reveal itself in budding trees and greening grass (and downpours of rain), I can’t help but think of the hymn There Shall Be Showers of Blessing. You may have noticed this song while skimming through a church hymnal though perhaps you haven’t sung it recently. It’s quite a throwback and not wildly popular the way modern worship songs are, but the timeless hymn is commonly mentioned this time of year, perfect for the abundant April showers we see. And the story of the man behind its words is a painting of God’s mercy and blessing.
There Shall Be Showers of Blessing was written by Major Daniel Webster Whittle. Originally a lieutenant during the American Civil War, Whittle was called to fight in a Massachusetts regiment. He writes in the book Twice Born Men, “My dear mother was a devout Christian, and parted from me with many a tear, and followed me with many a prayer. She had placed a New Testament in a pocket of the haversack that she arranged for me.”
The War was a painful experience. In one of the many battles Whittle was knocked to the ground unconscious, only to wake up with his right arm amputated at the elbow and stuck in a prisoner of war camp. In his recovery, he searched for something to read… and miraculously found the New Testament his mother had planted weeks before in his haversack, untouched and permitted by his captives.
“I read right through the book – Matthew, Mark, Luke, to Revelation. Every part was interesting to me; and I found to my surprise that I could understand it in a way that I never had before. When I had finished Revelation, I began at Matthew, and read it through again. And so for days I continued reading, and with continued interest; and still with no thought of becoming a Christian, I saw clearly from what I read the way of salvation through Christ.”
People overseeing his recovery noticed his interest in the Bible. Assuming he was a follower of Jesus, a nurse approached him saying a dying prisoner wanted someone to pray with him. At first, he refused. But the nurse insisted, stating, “…I thought you were a Christian; I have seen you reading your Bible.” Reluctantly but feeling God’s leading with every step, he went to the dying boy’s bedside.
“I dropped on my knees and held the boy’s hand in mine. In a few broken words I confessed my sins and asked Christ to forgive me. I believed right there that He did forgive me. I then prayed earnestly for the boy. He became quiet and pressed my hand as I prayed and pleaded God’s promises. When I arose from my knees, he was dead. A look of peace had come over his troubled face, and I cannot but believe that God who used him to bring me to the Savior, used me to lead him to trust Christ’s precious blood and find pardon. I hope to meet him in heaven.”
Whittle was later promoted to Major and returned home when the war ended. It wasn’t long before he devoted his life to writing hymns of praise alongside Dwight L. Moody, including I Know Whom I Have Believed and Christ Liveth in Me. He penned There Shall Be Showers of Blessing in 1883 based on Ezekiel 34:26 KJV “And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.”
One of my favorite lines in the hymn is “There shall be showers of blessing if we but trust and obey; there shall be seasons refreshing if we let God have His way.” I wonder if Major Whittle often pondered the mysteries of how his faith in Jesus came to be through such hardship of war. But the season of refreshing, which resulted in such beautiful messaging that we enjoy today, truly reveal that God’s way is the best way.
Verse 1:
There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.
Chorus:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.
Verse 2:
There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.
Verse 3:
There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.
Verse 4:
There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!
Verse 5:
There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.