“A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help.

Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof,
“Jump in, I can save you.”

The stranded fellow shouted back, “No, it’s OK, I’m praying to God and he is
going to save me.”

So, the rowboat went on.

Then a motorboat came by. “The fellow in the motorboat shouted, “Jump in, I can
save you.”

To this the stranded man said, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to
save me. I have faith.”

So, the motorboat went on.

Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, “Grab this rope and I will
lift you to safety.”

To this the stranded man again replied, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is
going to save me. I have faith.”

So, the helicopter reluctantly flew away.

Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to
Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at
which point he exclaimed, “I had faith in you but you didn’t save me, you let me
drown. I don’t understand why!”

To this God replied, “I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more
did you expect?”¹

The little fellow on the rooftop in our story was clearly in distress.  Wouldn’t you be? 

As we read, he was calling upon the Lord to help him. Here he was probably inching his way up as the water rose until he was sitting on the narrowest part of the rooftop. All the while he was assuming the Lord would save him only in the way he imagined.

I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me 

and set me in a broad place.

Psalm 118:5

God answered him and tried to set him in a safe, broad place. But he missed the boat, literally, and the helicopter too!

 Sometimes we also miss the boat as we cry to the Lord.

Our problems seem to overtake us like rising water.  We get pushed and pushed into a narrower place with seemingly no way out.

What is happening? Why isn’t God answering me?

Perhaps He is but maybe not in the way we expect.

We sometimes pray and pray and pray and tell God exactly how we want Him to answer our requests. But God will not always answer in the way we imagine. However, because His love for us is so great, He will answer in the way that is best,

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.

Ephesians 2:4

When God answers in a way that is different than our request, we like the fellow stuck on his rooftop, may miss the answer.

Part of walking in faith, is trusting God to answer in His way.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7

So, in faith, when we pray and trust God to answer, let’s not forget to keep our eyes open & focused so that we don’t miss the answer He gives.

God’s answer may not be the one we were expecting but it will always be what is best because He loves us so much.

REFLECTION

Do you have a prayer request that you have determined how God should answer it?

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, as I say 2 Corinthians 5:7 aloud with my request, help me to have the faith that you will answer in the way that is best. Please open my eyes to see your answer.

WALKING IN FAITH MEANS

WATCHING WITH OPEN EYES AND HEART TO MAKE SURE WE DON’T MISS THE ANSWER GOD WANTS TO GIVE US

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¹truthbook.com
House photo – Chris Gallagher, unsplash
Questions photo- G. Altmann, pixabay
Binoculars photo- Jen Theodore, unsplash

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