“…There Will Be Showers Of Blessing!”

“…There Will Be Showers Of Blessing!”(Ez 34:20-31).
Some years back, we had the opportunity to visit the Minawawo refugee camp, Maroua, Cameroon. We also visited an Internally Displaced People’s settlement in Abuja, Nigeria. On two or three occasions while in Nairobi, I’ve had conversations with clergies from South Sudan.
Then, one day, the bombshell fell on my own beloved country. We started hearing gory tales of our own people in the bushes. I admired the courage of a colleague pastor who braved the odds in those dark days to go and administer to displaced persons in the bushes somewhere in Meme South Presbytery. Some of these displaced people could only shelter themselves with plantain leaves. One time, a woman gave birth in the bush under horrible conditions without any proper natal care.
The stories about refugees and IDPs were now a Cameroonian story. The telltale of escape is still visible as bullet-ridden marks are on most houses along the highways from Bamenda to Widikum, from Muea to Kumba, etc.
The words “refugee,” “IDP,” and “exile” were no longer words about some people. They became words about our people.
Take away “hope” and “reassurance,” and you have no gospel to refugees, IDPs, and exiles. What is the gospel of “God loves you” to a refugee, an IDP, or an exile?
Simple message: Consoling messages like “God has a purpose for your life. Think about those who have died, and you’ll realise that God still loves you. Etc.”
“When there is life, there is hope!” Hope undaunted and hope that does not disappoint!
Refugees, IDPs, and exiles are caused by bad shepherding where the interest of shepherds are their stomachs – “bellytics.” To the exiles in the Babylonian captivity the Sovereign LORD gave the messages of hope that relates even to people who have not moved residence, not because they are safe, but because they have decided that anywhere dead happens anyway!
The LORD says, “…I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be Prince among them…I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts…I will send down showers, there will be showers of blessing…They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid…they will no longer be victims of famine…Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they…are my people…You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Yes, my friend, no matter the odds, obstacles, or difficulty, the Sovereign Lord has made arrangements for your welfare! The short night of pain and sorrow soon give way to a long day of sweet relief to a joyful heart. So cheer up; beyond the horizon of despair has risen the sunrise of the Bright Morning Star – the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Sovereign Lord, I know you have a better plan for me. Thank you.
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
06/05/2025.