Bring your red umbrella

Jennifier · Post by **Jennifier** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:13 pm

Bring Your Red Umbrella!
Bishop E. Earl Jenkins
"Ask...in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24 NIV

When severe drought hit a small farming community in the Stress, a local church called a prayer meeting and everybody showed up. Crisis has a way of getting our attention! As the pastor stood before his packed church he noticed an 11-year-old girl sitting in the front row, beaming with excitement. Lying next to her was her bright red umbrella poised for use. The beauty and innocence of this sight made him smile as he compared the faith of this child with that of the rest of the people in the room. You see, the rest of them had just come to pray for rain - she had come to see God answer!

One of the dangers of praying, is praying, yet not really expecting anything: "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that...he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Heb11:6 NIV). You say, "So how do I get more faith?" By filling your mind with the Scriptures! "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Ro 10:17). When you immerse yourself in God's Word an amazing thing happens; faith takes root and begins to grow. And faith is what makes your praying effective.

But what if your prayer lines up with God's Word, yet the answer is delayed?

Keep praying and believing! "Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" (Heb 10:35-36 NIV).

So when you pray for rain, bring your "red umbrella!"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:52 pm

Jennifer, that was soooooooooooooo beautiful! Thank you for such a wonderful gift. I needed that.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:32 pm

Thanks for this. It is so important to focus on what you are saying here. Praying with expectation. I can really use this!

Elisheva · Post by **Elisheva** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:53 pm

We also just talke in Sunday school about it being ok to pray for exactly what you want. It sounds so simple but never dawned on me.
One girl prayed for a baby that slept well, another for a blonde haired, blue-eyed baby.
I tend to cop out I guess by just saying, Lord help me. I really need to finish the sentence with what I need help with and believe in it specificallybeing answered.
Thanks for a wonderful post!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:42 am

I actually just prayed for a house a few nights ago, then I started feeling like I shouldn't have prayed the way I did because I was feeling like I was asking too much, but then I read this and realized that I could pray for what I needed because it is all things that will make my family more functionable. Praise God that it helped you all. I am so grateful to the Lord for using me to help others. Glory be to God!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 5:15 am

AMEN!!!!!

derfy · Post by **derfy** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 5:24 am

Thanks, Jennifer for those words.

The Lord is good.

I think as Christians with depression issues, we expect to go through adversity, that we somehow deserve it. We don't want to ask for too much, lest we upset God or seem greedy.

I have been working very hard on learning how to accept God as the Father. As a parent, he doesn't mind we ask for exactly what we need. We would of our natural parents. He loves us no matter what we do, as a Father would. He wants to know exactly what we want, because he wants to fulfill our wants and needs. He wants us to live in the overflow, but he's not going to just throw it at us.

It's easy to "know" these things. But it's completely different to meditate on them and gain deeper revelation about them.

You hit the nail on the head, Jennifer. Thank you.

Amen.