A Child's Prayer

Heading up I-5, my windshield wipers worked steadily matching pace with the Seattle rain.
“This rain is going to make for a boring time at your cousins house. You will probably have to play inside, all day.”
“Daddy, let’s just pray and ask God to stop the rain.”
There are times when a challenge is thrown in front of me and I will grab it with vigor. This was not one of those times. I groaned inwardly, thinking my six year old daughter’s faith was just beginning to bud. Why does it have to be crushed so early? I threw up a silent prayer for wisdom and complaint to God. “Is it really necessary for disappointment and disillusionment to show their nasty faces now - just as my sweet innocent six year old daughter is beginning to understand You?”
So, I mustered up my courage, manned up, and immediately caved in by saying, “That’s a good idea, why don’t you pray,” and she did, right then and out loud. I kept my eyes open – I was driving. The family silently prayed along with her but my prayer lacked even the smallest amount of faith. In fact there is a better than average chance I didn’t pray at all. It is more likely I was thinking, what a horrible idea, to be praying about the rain, this is stupid, and on so many levels. First off, God will not answer a prayer to stop the rain! He just doesn’t do things like that. I guess I never read the story of Jesus asleep in the boat during the storm, hmmm….
I knew it was ridiculous to pray about the rain – oh sure some super Christian out there is tut tutting me and quoting the scripture, “don’t worry about anything but everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be known to God and the peace that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and mind stayed on thee. Well super Christian you are right about one thing – I had no peace.
Well, my daughter prayed and the rain intensity seemed to increase - Of course it did, why wouldn’t it? For the next twenty miles the rain was steady. Off the freeway across the trestle we went. Now we were on Hwy 9 and nothing more was said about the rain for the rest of the trip.
Twenty minutes later we pulled into the drive way of my sister’s house and the rain stopped as I drove up the drive way. The kids played outside all day with no rain. When it came time to head home late that evening, we loaded up and started down the driveway. As soon as my front wheels hit the pavement the rain started up. All the way home it rained steady. I wondered quietly, and did not say a word. You see the Father was talking to me about faith.
Did God stop the rain? Of course he did. Don’t ask me why He stopped the rain that day for a small little girl, and other times He chooses not to answer our prayers. I know, I know… He always answers, just sometimes it’s, “no.” It sure does seem he says “no” a lot. I asked the Father to explain and he reminded me that He is not accustomed to explaining himself. I guess his whys have something to do with that thing called faith.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14
Is there a lesson here? I suppose there is but this is one of those times you will have to ask the Father for the lesson.