"The Red Umbrella"

As the drought continued for what seemed an eternity, a small community of mid-west farmers were in a quandary as to what to do next. The rain was important not only to keep their crops healthy, but to sustain the towns-people's very way of living. As the problem became more urgent, the local church felt it was time to get involved and called a prayer meeting to ask for rain.

In what seemed a vague remembrance of a Native American ritual, the people began to arrive. The preacher on his arrival watched as the congregation continued to file in. He slowly made his way to the front to officially begin the meeting.

Everyone was taking the opportunity to visit across the aisles to socialize with close friends. The preacher's thoughts when he reached the front were on quieting those present and starting the meeting.

As the preacher began to ask for quiet, his eyes scanned the crowd and he took note of an eleven year-old girl sitting on the front row. Her face was beaming with excitement and she quietly sat in her place. Next to her, poised and ready for use, was a bright red umbrella. The beauty and innocence of the girl made the preacher smile as he realized the faith she possessed. No one else in the congregation had brought an umbrella!

They had all come to pray for rain, but she had come expecting God to answer with the needed rain.

What kind of faith do you have in God? When you pray and ask Him for your deepest need, is there the excitement of expectation that He is going to deliver. We should all be more like this young girl who was thoughtful enough to fully expect that God would do what they asked Him.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." (Mat 7:7-8)