It is raining cats and dogs outside this morning. It seems like we cannot get away from the rain this year. It is definitely a day for an umbrella.
We had a guest pastor at church yesterday. He was sharing how we could think of the Kingdom of God as an umbrella. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we come under the umbrella of God [Romans 10:9]. Many of us carry our own umbrellas around because we are not willing to sacrifice our will and our way to get under the umbrella of God. We may walk near God, but the only way to get under His umbrella is to lay yours down. Have you ever tried to get close to someone else when you’re both carrying an umbrella? It just doesn’t happen. You end up bumping umbrellas or one person gets poked by the other one’s umbrella.
My daughter, Laura, doesn’t like having to fool with umbrellas. She would just prefer to walk under an umbrella someone else is carrying so she doesn’t have to bother with carrying her own. The only problem with walking under another person’s umbrella is part of you might get wet. Laura has mastered the art of walking under another’s umbrella. She wraps her arms around the person holding the umbrella in a tight hug, as if holding on for dear life, and then she is assured she’s covered completely by the umbrella.
We all could learn from Laura how we should walk under the umbrella of God. If we would lay our plans aside, drop our agendas, and totally surrender to God, we have empty arms to wrap around Him so we are as close as possible. This keeps us under the umbrella. It doesn’t happen by accident. It requires you to make a choice.
We have the opportunity to choose our plan and our agenda [Romans 3:23] or God’s. Romans 6:23 spells out our options: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Whenever you find it raining outside, allow it to serve as a reminder of who is reigning in your life. Whose umbrella will you choose to stand under today?