Walking with my 'umbrella'

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" Hebrews 11:1

I recently have been asking, "How do I walk by faith daily?" I just read this story of a little girl that exemplifies great faith and wanted to share it as an encouragement:

A drought continued for what seemed an eternity, a small community of farmers was in a quandary as to what to do.  Rain was vital to keep their crops healthy and sustain the way of life of the townspeople.   As the problem became more acute, a local priest called a prayer meeting to ask for rain.  Many concerned people arrived at the church and the priest greeted most of them as they filed in.   As he walked to the front of the church to officially begin the meeting he noticed the people were chatting across the aisles about their mutual situation and socializing with friends.  When he reached the front his thoughts were on quieting the attendees and getting the meeting started.  His eyes scanned the crowd as he asked for quiet and it was then that he noticed a young girl about 11 years old sitting quietly in the front row, her face beaming with excitement.   Next to her, poised and ready for use, was a bright red umbrella.  The little girl’s beauty and innocence made the priest smile as he realized how much faith she possessed.   No one else in the congregation had brought an umbrella.   All came to pray for rain, but the little girl had come expecting God to answer.”

Unlike the young girl in this story, some of us pray but do not expect an answer, because from our standpoint the outlook is hopeless and grim.  We fall prey to doubt and fear when things change and corrupt our serenity.  Nothing will help, we think, so we slump into depression.  Why doesn’t God listen to me?  And it is then that Satan steps in and whispers, “See, your God is not helping you.”  And so, we think God does not hear us or will not help us.  What we forget is that God is listening and perhaps has something else in mind for us. It is a good reminder to grab our umbrella, grab our faith. We are asked to pray in faith rather than in desperation. It is such a comfort to know that our prayers are heard. 1 John 5:14 reminds us, This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

 “I am the Lord, the God of all the people of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27 tells us.

One thing I admire about children is their innocent boldness of faith we sometimes need to adapt in our lives. As I grow older, I realize that the word 'hope' has become a subconscious nilly-willy hope, "I hope I get this job..." But we are a child of God. Like a child, when we ask our dad or mom to give us something, we expect and have utmost faith we will receive it. Like how we have faith our parents will tuck us into bed and promise to protect us from the unknown darkness. 

Question:
Do I live like I know He will give me the strength to overcome the challenges and responsibilities God has given me? 

Prayer:
As I pray for my missions trips and the constant challenges I face, let my life be constant breathing prayers of a faith like the little girl with the umbrella. Amen