Faith That Expects God's Answer

As a drought continued for what seemed an eternity, a small community of farmers was in a quandary as to what to do. Rain was important to keep their crops healthy and sustain the townspeople's way of life. As the problem became more acute, a local pastor called a prayer meeting to ask for rain.

Many people arrived at the church to pray for the needed rain. The pastor greeted most of them as they filed in.

As he walked to the front of the church to officially begin the meeting he noticed most people were chatting across the aisles and socializing with friends.

When he reached the front his thoughts were on quieting the attendees and starting the meeting.

His eyes scanned the crowd as he asked for quiet. He noticed an eleven year-old girl sitting quietly in the front row. Her face was beaming with excitement.

Next to her, open and ready for use, was a very colorful and extremely large umbrella, much bigger than her in fact.

The little girl's beauty and innocence made the pastor 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.

I recall a similar moment in my own life when I was struggling to make ends meet, and I had been praying for financial provision. One day, as I was reading the Bible, I came across Matthew 6:33, which says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." I felt a surge of faith and decided to take a step of obedience, trusting that God would provide. The next day, I received an unexpected check in the mail that covered all my urgent expenses. It was a small miracle, but it taught me the value of expecting God's answer to my prayers, just like the little girl with the umbrella. This experience has stayed with me, and I've seen it play out in other areas of my life, such as when I was praying for a friend's healing - I began to pray specifically for her recovery, and soon after, her health started to improve, and she was able to return to her daily activities, and eventually she made a full recovery. In these moments, I'm reminded that faith is not just about asking, but about trusting that God will provide an answer, and being prepared to receive it. As I reflect on these experiences, I'm also reminded of a time when our church community came together to support a family in need, and we were able to provide them with the necessary resources to get back on their feet - it was a powerful example of what can happen when we trust in God's provision and work together to make it a reality.