The word “blessé” in French means “wounded” or “injured”. That’s not what we’d typically call a blessing. Many would even consider it tired, trite and even cruel to tell somebody facing a crisis that God’s going to work it together for good, or that He has a plan, His ways are not our ways, etc.  Laura Story’s new 30 day devotional, What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops?, (which even mentions that in Chapter 19) is an inspiring look at these concepts. Based on the themes in her Grammy-winning song, “Blessings”, Laura offers encouragement to anybody who’s been facing storms that there seem to be no answers for. Having faced her own crisis recently (her husband Martin had a brain tumor), she’s no stranger to the questions we ask God in these times.

As there’s less than 30 days until the book comes out (March 13), I read it all in one day. I don’t recommend this if you’re reading it to be inspired – everything kind of blurs together. I’m used to and favour devotionals that are heavily story-centred, but this one is more introspective.  Each entry starts with a Bible quote, followed by a thought for the day, inspirational quotes from leaders/heroes of the faith, and more appropriate Bible verses for the topic.  At the end of each chapter is a place for the reader to write their own thoughts. Again, I did not take advantage of this, but I expect it would be helpful for a Bible study group. The back of the book includes helpful verses on various themes, such as anger, fear, and prayer.

First, Laura Story deals with various aspects of blessings or the disguises they come in.  She also covers our responses when we think God hasn’t, and what He might be trying to say. The overall message is one of God’s great faithfulness, even in our hardest trials.  We discover that God loves us so much that He is willing to let us suffer to make us better. He deserves our worship even when we do not understand or feel abandoned. Indeed, He has made us to be unsatisfied in this life so that we will long for the next one, where our faith will be sight.

I would recommend What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops?  to anyone whose life is in turmoil. It may seem hard to swallow, but God has NOT left you and still loves you VERY much. Even when the rain is pouring....