How good the Lord is! Showers on the unjust as well as on the just. He is good to all, though His goodness to each may differ somewhat even in the same shower. My mind was drawn to this text by a story that I read recently.

A merchant was once returning from market with his purse filled with money. While travelling there fell such a torrential shower that he was soaked to the skin. He moaned at the terrible weather and even silently in his thoughts murmured against God.

The road passed the edge of a forest and as he proceeded, to his great terror he noticed a robber aiming a gun at him and attempting to shoot. However the same shower that soaked the merchant also wet the powder of the would be assassin. The gun did not go off. The merchant didn’t hang about but struck his spurs into his horse and escaped.

As soon as he found himself safe he said, “How wrong was I not to endure the rain patiently, as sent by Providence. If the weather had been dry an fair, I should not probably have been alive at this hour; the rain which caused me to murmur came at a fortunate moment, to save my life and preserve to me my property."

Now undoubtedly God was good to His child coming from the market. But can it not also be said that He was good to that unjust robber? To be kept from murder and stealing is a great blessing too. The merchant saw the goodness of God in the rain, I don’t suppose however, that the robber did!