Don't Forget Your Umbrella

You may be wondering why I would be carrying my umbrella to church this morning. After all,there isn't a cloud in the sky. Perhaps you thought I brought my umbrella to shade me from the hot sun. No, that isn't the reason. I am carrying my umbrella because we need rain and I am going to pray and ask God to send rain. How many of you believe that God has the power to make it rain?

Well, I got to thinking about that and I thought to myself, "We say that we believe God can make it rain, but we pray for rain and we don't even carry our umbrella with us." It doesn't seem to me that we really believe that God has the power to make it rain if we don't have enough faith to carry an umbrella.

Did you know that our lack of faith can limit the power of God? That's what the Bible says.

One time Jesus was in his hometown. When the Sabbath came, he was teaching in the synagogue. Many of the people who heard Jesus' teaching started to criticize him. "Who does he think he is? And where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles? Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't he the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Don't his sisters live right here in the same town with us?"

Jesus heard them criticizing him and he said to them, "A prophet has little honor in his own home town among his friends and relatives." The Bible tells us that because of their lack of faith, Jesus was powerless do any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people.

Jesus once told his disciples, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Matthew 21:22) So, if you really believe that God has the power to make it rain, the next time you pray to God and ask him to make it rain, don't forget your umbrella!

Father, we say we believe, but sometimes our actions don't show it. Help us to show our faith by our actions. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.