One thing leads to another, they say. Yesterday, I shared the story of Philip Bliss, who teamed with Daniel Webster Whittle (1840-1901) to travel the countryside to spread the gospel. Reading about Philip piqued my interest to learn more about his colleague, Daniel Webster Whittle.
Daniel’s father admired the American patriot Daniel Webster, hence the name. Daniel fought in the Civil War and rose to the rank of major until he was wounded in the battle at Vicksburg. After the war, he moved to Chicago to work for the Elgin Watch Company. He commenced reading the Bible his mother packed into his bag as he left for the war. He moonlighted as a night watchman for a bank and told of a decisive turning point in his life, “I went into the vault, and in the dead silence of that quietist of places, I gave my life to my heavenly Father to use as he would.”
He subsequently quit his job and entered evangelistic work. The influence of hymn-writer Philip Bliss rubbed off on him. Major Whittle composed two hundred hymns for use in evangelism.
My wife Chris and I served years ago with a campus ministry at a Western Pennsylvania college in partnership with a local church. The congregation met for a midweek prayer meeting and sang old gospel songs as part of the service. One of the most requested songs was Whittle’s hymn, “There will be showers of blessing.” The hymn is based on the “showers of blessing” reference in Ezekiel 34,26-27. The third verse and accompanying refrain lead us to pray for seasons of God’s refreshment: