But Did You Bring Your Umbrella?

But Did You Bring Your Umbrella?

Acts 12:13-15

13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 

14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 

15 But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

   Picture this scene.  Close your eyes and let it play out in your head.  Your pastor has been arrested and put in prison guarded by sixteen soldiers.  He is chained to at least two of them.  He is asleep and behind at least two locked, iron gates.  Your church meets to pray for his safety.  There is a knock on the door and a young girl goes to answer it and comes back and says, “the pastor is at the door!”  Do you believe God answered your prayers and run to the door and greet him or tell the girl she’s crazy? 

   This reminds me of a story I heard once - supposedly a true story.  A rural church in the middle of a farming community had a special service to pray for rain.  A drought had hit the area hard and the farmers and community were suffering financially.  Many people came to the service to pray and as the pastor looked out over the crowd he was encouraged.  However, he noticed that of all the people who came to the prayer meeting, only one had brought an umbrella.  A little girl sitting in the front pew was holding a bright, red umbrella in her lap.  They were praying for rain but didn’t have enough faith to bring an umbrella.

   I can’t speak for you, but I’ve prayed like this.  I’ve asked God for an answer to some need and then tried to work out for myself how to fix it.  I pray, really pray, and really mean it, then get up off my knees, and don’t reach for an umbrella. 

   The problem is that many Christians don’t take prayer seriously.  I’m not saying that we don’t pray and I’m not saying that we don’t have some prayer warriors among us, but the vast majority of Christians don’t seem to take prayer seriously.  Churches with prayer meetings regularly are, by one poll I read, in a minority in this country.  And of those few churches who do have prayer meetings that meeting is the least attended meeting on the weekly schedule.  One church I attended was a church with more than five hundred in attendance every Sunday morning.  The prayer meeting had about ten. 

   Our churches need prayer.  We need growth and protection and wisdom and a whole lot of other things and we need God’s help with them all.  What we need is to live by Matthew 7:7&8

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

There must be preparation for prayer: prayer is an act of worship.  Just as you prepare to worship on Sunday morning you should prepare to encounter God in prayer. How do we prepare for serious prayer?  

Plan to take time to pray, not just “wing it” for a couple of minutes but plan some real time. 

Find a good place to pray where we won’t be interrupted for the time we’re planning to spend in prayer. 

Turn off your phone, computer, pad, whatever – turn ‘em off! 

Recognize that you’re planning to enter the Presence of God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.  Don’t come flippantly or take it lightly, He’s really God, show some respect! 

Be humble.  God is not in need of your wisdom or help.  You are the servant – He is the God.

Tell Him what you want.  He’s willing to listen to one of His children, so talk to Him. 

Expect to hear from God.  Probably not spoken words, but you’ll know He speaks if you listen with your whole being. 

Expect to get an answer.  In other words, bring your umbrella. 

   One last thought - prayer empowers you.
Ephesians 3:20

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 

Stephen Cram                                                                                        August 4, 2013                     

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.