Today's Devotional

November 28,  2005

Subject:  Sometimes It Rains

1Kings 18:44 - "And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand.  And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare [thy chariot], and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not."

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We were all poised for our first ever "Drive-Thru Prayer Breakfast."  We bought all of the food.  We made all the signs for advertising and we even ran three separate pieces in the local newspaper.  We were ready.  The breakfast was scheduled to kick off at 7:00 a.m. and we were to be at the church at 6:00 a.m. to make sure everything was prepared.  Then, at 5:30 a.m. the rains came down and down and down and down.  The breakfast was scheduled from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and the rains were scheduled for about the same timeframe.

Sometimes in life we do everything that we need to do in preparation and things outside of our control make the situation uncomfortable.  You could be the spouse who cares while the other one doesn't.  That's outside of your control.  You could be the hardworking person in the office who just got laid off.  That's outside of your control.  It could just be that you took a public stand for right and now you're "facing the music."  That's just a storm you'll have to endure.

We had to endure the rains and since we had way less cars than we expected, we turned the drive-thru prayer breakfast into the "drive-by" prayer breakfast.  We loaded up the church van and drove around town distributing breakfast to many grateful residents.  Now that's outreach.

We can only be responsible for doing right and being prepared in life.  After that, it's up to "The Rainmaker" on what type of conditions He will bring.  Sometimes He brings the rain.  So if life is raining on you today, never mind the weather.  Don't cancel your plans.  Stay the course.  The weather will change.  The "rain of life" could be your best opportunity to reach out.  

Carlen