I want to share with you a short story about faith that I read recently written by Laverne W. Hall. Here’s how it goes.
The fields were parched and brown from lack of rain, and the crops lay wilting from thirst. People were anxious and irritable as they searched the sky for any sign of relief. Days turned into arid weeks. No rain came.
The ministers of the local churches called for an hour of prayer on the town square the following Saturday. They requested that everyone bring an object of faith for inspiration.
At high noon on the appointed Saturday the townspeople showed up in masses, filling the square with anxious faces and hopeful hearts. The ministers were touched to see the variety of objects clutched in prayerful hands --Bibles, crosses, and rosaries were only a few of their faith symbols.
When the hour ended, as if on magical command, a soft rain began to fall. Cheers swept the crowd as they held their treasured objects high in gratitude and praise. From the middle of the crowd, one faith symbol seemed to overshadow all the others; A small 9-year-old child had brought an umbrella.
I think this story reminds us of the kind of faith that God wants us to have. He wants us to have a faith that doesn’t just remain in our heads but also extends to our hearts and hands. There is a vast difference between just saying that we believe something and actually living like we believe it. Biblical faith is not merely informational; it’s transformational. This means what we have faith in actually affects our attitudes and actions. It’s not really faith if we don’t put it into practice. We are reminded of this in James 2:26,
A person’s body without their spirit is dead. In the same way, faith without good deeds is dead.
Here’s the deal. Even demons believe that God exists but that doesn’t mean they do what He wants or have real Biblical faith. Have more faith than the demons. Put what God says into practice. What would happen if we had enough faith to live like God’s promises were true? The reason this story about the boy and the umbrella is so encouraging is because it illustrates faith in action. The boy believed that God would come through. The symbol of his faith was the umbrella because he was expecting rain. Here’s my challenge for you. Live like you expect God to follow through on His promises. Put your faith into practice daily. Don’t just be informed by the words of scripture, be transformed.