Praying for Rain and Carrying an Umbrella

Occasionally, I am impressed to pray something so specifically that I feel convinced it could only be from the Lord.  And, for a few days, I will pray it fervently.  Then, seeing no immediate effects or rewards, the fervency wanes.  I may pray it once or twice a week, eventually resorting to a rare mention of it in my prayers.  And, generally, when I’ve all but forgotten that I ever felt called to ask for whatever that thing was, the Lord provides.  He answers out of His abundance, and I am completely stunned.  I’m as caught off guard by the answer as if I’d never asked for it, as if I’d never believed that the prompting for the asking came from Him in the first place.  It’s a silly cycle really.

Two weeks ago, I was having a conversation with a friend who’s been riding a perpetual emotional roller coaster in prayer for the last few years.  She believes she knows what the Lord has said to her, and she believes He’s affirmed that original message several times over.  But, nothing in her present circumstances indicates that an answer is on the way, so she doubts and fears and frets.   As I listened to her, I finally asked what I felt was the critical question, “Friend, what if you just decided to believe God?” What if you decided that He’s big enough to show you if you’re wrong, but as long as He continues to affirm His original word to you, you’re going to stand firm in that belief against all doubts or evidence to the contrary? 

Bold advice.  Easy to dispense.

Two days later, I hopped on my own roller coaster.  I found myself fretting at the feet of Jesus, wringing my hands and telling him all about my distress over His delayed answer to my very earnest request (the one He’d placed there!).  And, as if someone had pressed the “play” button on a recording of my conversation with my friend, I heard my own voice come back to me.  “Friend, what if you just decided to believe God?  What if you decided that He’s big enough to show you if you’re wrong, but as long as He continues to affirm His original word to you, you’re going to stand firm in that belief against all doubts or evidence to the contrary?”   I literally shook my head.  What if indeed …

A few days ago, I saw a church sign.  Now, I’m not a huge fan of church signs, the ones with the pithy sayings.  I generally find them cheesy at best, and too often obnoxious.  This one might have been a little bit of both, but it still got my attention.  It read simply, “If you’re praying for rain, be sure you carry an umbrella.”  I immediately began to wonder what it would look like to carry an umbrella – in other words, to live and act as though I expected my prayers to be answered at any moment.  How would my thinking change?  What would I do differently?  How would my conversations change?

In Joshua 6:1, the Bible says the city of Jericho was tightly shut up and nobody was getting in or out, but the Lord said to Joshua, “See I have delivered Jericho into your hands …”  Joshua would still have to march around the city wall and shout to see it fall, but Jericho was his from the moment God promised it.  He could carry an umbrella even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.