DID YOU BRING YOUR UMBRELLA?  

Scripture for the day: 2 Kings 20:9-10 Then Isaiah said, "This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing which he has spoken; shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?"  And Hezekiah answered, "It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees."
Thought for the day: A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. After a time of desperate struggle, the following conversation ensued: 
"Is anyone up there?" 
     "I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?" 
     "Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer." 
     "That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch." 
     A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?" 
     And isn't that the way we usually work?  We sing and profess and try to make ourselves believe we have all the faith in the world; and it works, right up until we get into a situation akin to hanging off a cliff by our fingertips.  Then we fret and worry and wonder where the rescue will come from, or even if it will.  Lord, have mercy on us for our disbelief.
     Look at Hezekiah again for a moment.  Let's remember that he was one of the great kings of Judah.  He tore down the altars and places of worship and required the people to once again turn back to the Lord God of Abraham.  He destroyed the bronze snake Moses had made while the people wandered in the wilderness (an interesting side-note by the way; the object God used to rescue the people from the poisonous snakes had itself become an object of worship - nothing's changed, has it?).  He followed the Lord with all his heart and is revered as one of the great heroes of the Bible.  When the Assyrians came with their armies to conquer Judah, Hezekiah knew exactly what to do; he went immediately to the Temple and prayed for deliverance.  When he'd finished crying out to the Lord, he got confirmation through the prophet Isaiah that his prayers had been answered because of his faith.  Yes, Hezekiah was a great man of faith.  So, when this calamity (a sudden illness that threatened to claim his life) came upon him, he went immediately again to prayer.  He was given the assurance that the Lord had relented and he would live.  Then he asked for what should have been an impossible sign - "let the shadow go backward ten degrees."
     Now some would say that's tempting the Lord and we're specifically forbidden to do such a thing.  But I don't think that was in Hezekiah's heart at all.  I think he was demonstrating his faith in this great God he served by saying something like, "I know God could easily move the shadow forward, but I also know beyond a doubt that he can do the more difficult miracle of moving it backward."  And so Isaiah cried out to God and the Lord honored Hezekiah's faith by doing as the prophet Isaiah asked.  What a lesson in faith that is for you and me!
     The question for is this: What am I facing that seems impossible, insurmountable or indescribably difficult?  Am I truly trusting that the Lord will bring me through it or am I asking, "Is there anyone else up there?"
     Once there was a terrible drought in the Southern part of the United States.  The people began to suffer as the crops withered and the hay fields turned an ugly shade of brown.  At last conditions go so bad that they decided to gather on a certain day to pray for rain.  A committee from the community approached the local pastor to ask if he would lead the prayer meeting and, of course, he agreed.  When the designated time came the town square was full to overflowing with anxious townsfolks, waiting to see what the man of God would say and do.
     He stood before them as the mayor said a few words and ended with the plea, "Pastor, will you now come and lead us in praying for rain to end this terrible drought?"
     The preacher got up, walked to the podium, looked out over the crowd and said, "I cannot pray for rain.  Real prayer can only be answered in response to real faith and I see no umbrellas in your hands."  And then he sat down.
     Is there a drought in your life?  Are you praying for rain?  Did you bring an umbrella?
Now go take on your world.  -  Bill