Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

THE UMBRELLA

During a particularly hot summer, a group of farmers gathered in their church to pray for rain. The dry weather threatened their livelihood, and their situation was desperate. After the service, one little girl asked her father if the people truly expected that it would rain. "Of course," replied the dad. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be here." "But Daddy," protested the little girl, "how come no one came to church with an umbrella?"

In the very first prayer recorded in the Bible (Genesis 15:1-6), we catch a glimpse of Abraham's faith. It is a faith that goes beyond human understanding. When Abraham was old and bent with years, he complained to God that he had no heir. God promised Abraham that he would be blessed with a son, and Abraham believed in spite of his old age. From that moment on, he lived with expectation that God would give him a son. In essence, Abraham started carrying the umbrella of faith in this first prayer.

There were times when Abraham doubted, but over all, he lived a life of faith. What seemed impossible to Abraham became a reality because he believed God. God always honors the faith of His followers. James reminds us: But let him ask in faith, with no doubting (James 1:6). Our pleas married to faith give birth to answered prayer. When we pray, let us believe.