"But for the Showers We Plead"

There’s an old hymn we used to sing whose chorus says,

Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

This sums up my feeling for the ministry here. We have been blessed to see “mercy drops” of God’s grace among the Ilonggo people in the past 3 years, since we began our CPM (Church Planting Movement) efforts. Hundreds have been baptized, dozens of groups formed, new churches started, and believers have grown in spiritual maturity.

During the past month, one of my team members reports that there are too many people at one of his house groups. It’s difficult to do effective training if the group is too large. Another team member reports how his church leaders are actively sharing the gospel, gathering the saved, and making efforts to start new groups. Still, another reports how the husbands of 3 believing women made professions of faith. On the following Sunday, the wives baptized their husbands!

So, “mercy drops round us are falling.” Praise God! But, oh, “for the showers we plead.” As a team, our vision is to see “simbalays” (house churches) in every barangay in the Western Visayas Region of the Philippines. This would add up to several thousand churches. We yearn to see hundreds of baptisms every week, where new simbalays are started by trained, obedient followers of Jesus Christ.

We need your prayer support. These “showers of blessing” cannot fall apart from a pouring out of God’s Spirit, who does not act, cannot act, apart from the will of redeemed people. The target of prayers are twofold. The first is against “the worldly desires that wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

Men, especially, are proud of their vices; they “glory in their shame.” Drunkenness is common. On Sundays, more men can be found in cock fighting arenas than in churches. Most men unashamedly commit fornication and adultery; wealthier men often having 2 or more ‘wives’ to support. Illegal drug use is widespread. Graft and corruption in both government and private sectors are rampant. Jesus said, “men loved darkness instead of light… and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”

The other target of prayer is an opening of their hearts to the joys of being on the Lord’s side. We have seen people freed from the fears of superstitious beliefs and find victory over sinful habits. Many have discovered a higher purpose in life and the rewards of serving others. Paul prayed, “that the eyes of your heart may be opened to see His light, so that you will know what is the hope to which He has called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings He promises His people, and how very great is His power at work in us who believe.”

Please pause now and plead in prayer for the “showers” of conviction and grace for the Ilonggo people. Thank you.