Bring On The Rain

I want my life to be an example of God's faithfulness.   I want people to be able to look at my life and say "wow, God does answer prayers, God does hold true to His promises, God is who He says He is".  The problem is.....this is not an easy life.   Not one of comfort and perfection.   Things do not always go your way and you will not always have everything fall into place.    Yes, I do believe the Lord blesses obedience and that there is favor for those who walk in righteousness.   But sometimes that favor comes by way of protection during a storm, not the absence of the storm.
I have a friend who went to Africa a few years back to help build a town in a part of Africa that had been ravaged by war and famine.   He helped with a well, and then in building a church, a school building and a few other smaller structures for other uses.     Not something that would see a big deal to us but was huge to those living in this community.      He told me a story of one of his experiences while visiting for the first time.    You see in Africa (among many many other things) they don't really have roads. They have these dirt "paths" that lead from place to place and are driven mostly by 4x4 vehicles that can handle the bumps and dips that come along.    The small town of Jale Sudan where he was working, does not even have a hospital, so anyone who is injured or in need of medical care has to take a rough and bumpy ride, a few hours into the nearest city to go to the hospital there.   And depending on the time of year, that is a nearly impossible journey to make.    In this part of Africa, it is either dry, or very very wet, and when it rains, the roads that they travel are nearly impossible to navigate safely.  In fact even my friends journey itself had to be carefully timed to fall before the rainy season, or they would not have been able to get to the town much less have the necessary equipment or supplies they needed, brought in.     So knowing this brings a level of caution when working in a construction environment.   They hired the locals to help with the building process, both due to the small group of men who were on the trip, and to help boost the economy of the town.    They worked diligently for about a month when the rainy season began to approach.  They were coming close to being done, when one evening one of the women of the town began to go into labor.     She needed to be brought to a hospital, but due to the rain and the condition of the roads it was a very dangerous journey.   My friend felt the Lord calling him to offer to drive her in one of the vehicles they had rented for the building process.    So he and one of the other men, took her and left.   He told me that in the long drive, through the rain and darkness, he had never been so afraid.  There were moments when they could not see and didn't even know if they were going the right direction.  He said that he just kept praying and trusting the Lord to guide him to the hospital.  He heard the Lord tell him, "I did not protect you from the storm but instead I lead you through it."   They made it to the hospital, the girl and her baby healthy and safe, and soon returned home.
 I am reminded of so many stories in the scriptures where God's children were faced with horrible situations....things that any normal person would be terrified of and want to run away from, and yet through their story we can see the power of our King.   Through their story we can have hope and confidence in who God is and what He does.  
Esther.    She was faced with the giant task of protecting her people from a king who would have otherwise sentenced them to death.   Not only did she succeed, but had the kings favor.  
David.   He was faced with a giant named Goliath.   Not only did he win that fight but did it with a simple slingshot in 1 strike.
Moses.   Called to lead God's people out of Egypt.    Succeeding despite a stubborn king and a significant amount of doubt and insecurity.
There are so many examples of men and women overcoming all kinds of difficulties and trials.
Scripture does not say that they met these situations with no doubt or fear or struggle, but it does say that they met these situations as humans walking with the strength of the Father.  
The truth is, without those stories...the crazy, wild callings, the Lord would not be able to show a hurting and desperate world who He is.     To be an example of His faithfulness, there first has to be a reason for Him to be faithful.   So rather then being surprised and frustrated when storms come, we can praise Him.....for He is setting the stage for a beautiful display of His faithfulness, His divine love and His everlasting promises.     Bring on the rain.