There Shall Be Showers of Blessing Meaning, History, and Theology
"There shall be showers of blessing"
- Written
- 1883
- Category
- Hymn
- Rights
- Public domain
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Story
There Shall Be Showers of Blessing is Daniel W. Whittle's 1883 gospel hymn with music by James McGranahan. Rooted in Ezekiel 34:26, the hymn is a prayer for divine blessing, spiritual refreshing, revival, mercy, confession, and renewed trust in Jesus.
Overview
There Shall Be Showers of Blessing is a gospel hymn of prayerful expectation. It takes the biblical image of promised rain and turns it into a congregational plea for the fullness of God's mercy, renewal, and spiritual refreshment.
The hymn is especially useful in services focused on revival, prayer, confession, assurance, and thanksgiving. It gives the church language for both gratitude and holy longing: believers may recognize God's present mercies while still pleading for deeper renewal.
Its pastoral strength is the way it holds promise and petition together. God has promised blessing, but the congregation still prays, repents, calls on Jesus, honors God's word, and asks for a fresh season of grace.
Historical Background
There Shall Be Showers of Blessing was written by Daniel Webster Whittle and published in 1883 in Gospel Hymns No. 4. Whittle, who also wrote under the name El Nathan, was active in American evangelical work and was closely associated with the gospel song movement connected with Dwight L. Moody, Ira D. Sankey, and their collaborators.
James McGranahan composed the tune SHOWERS OF BLESSING in the same year. McGranahan frequently worked with Whittle, and their partnership produced a number of gospel songs used in revival and evangelistic settings. This hymn reflects the revival-song pattern of biblical promise, direct appeal, memorable refrain, and congregational prayer.
The hymn's wording is drawn especially from Ezekiel 34:26, where the Lord promises showers of blessing. Because the historical text and tune were published in 1883, and both Whittle and McGranahan died more than a century ago, the hymn is public domain in the United States. Modern arrangements, recordings, and edited musical settings should still be checked separately.
Biblical Foundations
Ezekiel 34:26 is the hymn's clearest biblical foundation. In context, the Lord promises covenant peace, protection, fruitful provision, and blessing for his people. The hymn applies this image to the church's need for spiritual refreshing and renewal.
Hosea 6:3 and Isaiah 44:3 broaden the biblical picture. Scripture repeatedly uses rain, water, streams, and outpouring to describe God's gracious restoration and the work of his Spirit among thirsty people.
Acts 3:19 and Psalm 85:6 connect renewal with repentance and revived joy. James 1:17 reminds the congregation that every good gift comes from above. Together these passages help the hymn function as both a prayer for blessing and a call to renewed dependence on God.
Verse Explanation
Stanza 1 begins with the promise of blessing and describes spiritual refreshing as a gift sent from the Savior. It establishes confidence in God's gracious intention toward his people.
Stanza 2 asks for reviving again. The imagery of hills, valleys, and rain gives the stanza a broad sense of abundance, suggesting blessing that spreads widely through the people of God.
Stanza 3 turns the promise into prayer. The congregation asks the Lord to send refreshing now and links renewal with honoring his word.
Stanza 4 becomes more urgent and personal. The worshipers confess before God and call on Jesus, asking that the promised blessing might fall today.
The refrain gathers the hymn's longing into a repeated plea. It acknowledges smaller mercies already received while asking God for fuller showers of blessing.
Theological Reflection
This hymn teaches that divine blessing is both promised and prayed for. The congregation does not manipulate God by singing, but it comes before him in trust because his word gives warrant for hope.
The hymn also connects revival with grace. The blessing sought is not merely improved circumstances, but spiritual refreshing from the Savior above, renewed honor for God's word, confession before God, and deeper dependence on Jesus.
Its refrain gives a theology of holy dissatisfaction. Present mercies are real, but the church longs for a fuller work of God. The hymn therefore trains believers to thank God for every mercy while continuing to plead for the abundant showers only he can send.
Church Impact
There Shall Be Showers of Blessing has appeared in many gospel hymnals, evangelical hymnals, revival songbooks, and denominational collections. Hymnary records broad use of the hymn and identifies Ezekiel 34:26 as a frequent Scripture connection.
The hymn has been especially useful where congregations pray for revival, renewal, and deeper spiritual life. Its continuing value lies in its combination of biblical promise, simple imagery, and an easily remembered refrain that turns the whole church toward prayer.
Musical Notes
SHOWERS OF BLESSING is a gospel hymn tune by James McGranahan, commonly printed in 6/8 with an 8.7.8.7 text pattern and refrain. Its lilting meter gives the hymn a sense of movement and expectancy, fitting the image of promised rain and spiritual renewal.
The tune should be sung with prayerful confidence rather than haste. A moderate tempo allows the congregation to feel both the joy of promise and the seriousness of the plea.
The refrain is central to the hymn's congregational power. Singers should avoid making it merely sentimental; it is a prayer for God's abundant mercy and revival, and the accompaniment should support clear, earnest congregational singing.
Application
- Use the hymn in prayer meetings, revival services, or services focused on renewal and confession.
- Pair the hymn with Ezekiel 34:26 or Isaiah 44:3 to teach the biblical image of blessing as life-giving rain.
- Invite the congregation to name present mercies while also praying for deeper spiritual renewal.
- Use the hymn before a season of congregational prayer for the church, families, and community.
- Connect the final stanza with repentance and fresh trust in Jesus rather than treating blessing as automatic prosperity.
Discussion Questions
- What images of rain, refreshing, and blessing shape the hymn's message?
- How does the hymn's origin in the nineteenth-century gospel song tradition help explain its refrain and revival emphasis?
- How do Ezekiel 34:26 and Isaiah 44:3 deepen the hymn's prayer for showers of blessing?
- What does the hymn teach about the relationship between God's promise, prayer, confession, and spiritual renewal?
- How might a congregation sing this hymn honestly while thanking God for present mercies and pleading for fuller blessing?
Teaching Tips
- Read Ezekiel 34:26 before singing so the congregation hears the biblical promise behind the hymn.
- Teach the difference between praying for spiritual blessing and treating blessing as a formula for material success.
- Use the stanzas to trace a movement from promise, to revival, to prayer, to confession and calling on Jesus.
- After the refrain, allow a brief time of spoken or silent prayer for renewal in the church.
- Keep the tempo flowing but reverent so the hymn remains a prayerful plea rather than a nostalgic chorus.
Sources
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Hymnary.org, text authority page for There Shall Be Showers of Blessing
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Hymnary.org, tune authority page for SHOWERS OF BLESSING
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Hymnary.org, person authority page for Daniel W. Whittle
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Hymnary.org, person authority page for James McGranahan
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The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology, article on There shall be showers of blessing
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Gospel Hymns No. 4, 1883
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World English Bible, public domain text
Sheet Music
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