We are having a great week at Centrifuge and I am always excited to spend time with our students. As usual, our church has an incredible group of kids that look out for each other, help each other, and include each other.
What we don’t enjoy, so much, is the encroaching rain that seems to be setting in because a number of activities are outside and ALL of our walking is…
Naturally, leaders of the camp and of the youth groups began praying that the rain would not come today…or tomorrow…or the next day.
It’s a natural prayer, and I echo the sentiments…I hate getting wet (unless I’m in the shower, at the beach, or in the pool). 🙂
But, what if God answered this prayer and there was no rain today…or the rest of the week for that matter?
We would love it!
But, we are just 1 week of camp with many weeks to come.
It creates a few of questions…
Should we pray for no rain for the rest of the summer?
Should God answer that prayer?
What if He did?
A summer without rain is fun for kids who play outside, but it also creates a lot of problems for farmers, utilities, homes and buildings with receding soil from their foundations…and the list goes on.
I know, I know…that’s pretty dramatic. But it does beg the question, what if God answered all of our prayers for all of our preferences?
To answer my prayer puts another person in a difficult position and God is not so interested in all of my preferences being met.
In fact, God often wants to rain on our camp day because He is working towards a much greater picture than I am and it teaches us some valuable lessons like how to be flexible, how to deal with adversity and how to trust God in the storms.
Sometimes His greater plan requires me to make a sacrifice so someone else can be cared for, taken care of, ministered to. And, God also has a plan for keeping us out of our comfort zones…to help us grow.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2–4 (ESV)
I’m about to head out into the rain to join our group, and I’m not real excited about it to be honest, but that is God’s plan for today. I will be flexible and I will remember that the rain can’t take my joy.
I’ll also be looking for some rainbows when it does let up.
Whatever the “rain” is in your life, perhaps the reason that God isn’t answering your prayer to fix it is because He is working on a bigger plan that you don’t YET see.
Trust that He is going to help you develop steadfastness and wholeness so you will be lacking in nothing…even in the rain.
Mark Love
Lead Pastor
