If there’s any machine that young kids are fascinated with, it is the vending machine. And how can we blame them? They just have to put in a coin or bill, choose a chocolate, snack, or drink that they like, push the button, and out it comes! My kid says it is even better than a claw machine!
At one point in our lives, we have thought of God as a vending machine. Someone who gives us what we want when we pray for it, or when we do good deeds. Hence, when we do not get what we prayed for, or behaved for, we seem to resent God, and we sulk, distancing ourselves from Him.
“We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.” John 9:31
While it is true that God wants us to be happy, our happiness is not His top priority. God is not in the business of giving us our every whim, instead, He helps us develop a Christ-like character that will see beyond the happiness this world offers.
“When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,” Isaiah 1:15-16
The Lord wants us to live abundantly, but the abundant life that He offers is not in terms of financial or material wealth. It instead refers to richness in grace, joy, fulfillment, and authentic living. It is finding the strength and courage to endure difficult circumstances because we have the unshakeable faith that God will never leave us. It is the ability to be joyful in the face of adversity, and see blessings in disguise. It is being content and lacking nothing, because our eyes have been opened to God’s gifts, which money cannot buy and the world cannot take away.
“Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.” Isaiah 35:3-6
So how about God’s promises to prosper us and give us our heart’s desires? Well, such promises are not blank checks we can write on and encash anytime. Yes, He keeps His promises, but every promise has a premise, and usually it involves obedience.
What does that mean? Well if you check your most claimed promise of God you will see that most of it is unlocked through a requirement. For instance, the popular Psalm 37:4 which says “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart,” is a verse that cites both the premise and the promise. The phrase “delight yourself in the Lord,” is the premise, and the succeeding phrase “He will give you the desires of your heart” is the promise. So the promise will be given to you, IF you delight in the Lord. But do we all know what “delighting” in the Lord means?
When we delight in someone, we try to build a relationship with that person. We do not want to offend that person. We want to spend a lot of time with him and want to get to know Him more. We even try to copy his ways, belief systems, and his lifestyle. So given these, can you say that you delight in the Lord?
For the person that does delight in the Lord, the desires of her heart no longer matter because what a person in union with God wants is to follow God’s will. So even if she wants something, and prays for something, she lives up the answers to God because she knows that the Lord knows better, the Lord is sovereign, and He has good plans.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15
One good example of this is St. Paul the Apostle, who kept on praying to God to remove the thorn in his flesh. In spite of Paul’s ministry and righteousness, He still did not get what he had been praying for. HOWEVER, he viewed God’s “no” to him as God’s best answer to his request.
“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
Like the Apostle Paul, may we have the grace to discover the purpose behind our unanswered prayers. May we see God’s purpose in our pain. And like St. Paul, may we enjoy God’s fellowship that will help us endure the tough times, and empower us to pay the love forward to others who are also in need of compassion and comfort.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
So does this mean we should stop praying for what we want and what we need? Well no. First, God already knows what we need even before we ask Him, however, He is glorified whenever we pray to Him. Like any parent, our Heavenly Father is more than happy to give us the things that we pray for, but just like any parent, He will not give us what we are praying for if it will harm us.
“Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:9-11
The key then is to present our prayers to God, and live up everything to His will. We can continue to claim promises, we can continue praying, because it is our right as His child. But when our prayers are not answered, we must also reflect on it. Is it for our good and the good of the others? Will it glorify the Lord for you to receive such a prayer request? If your answers are yes, then keep on praying for it. If your answer is no, then maybe it is time to pray for the grace to accept His will in your life.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Matthew 7:7-11 and Psalm 37:1-7 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Have you ever treated God as a vending machine? What was your most fervent prayer then and now?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, give me the grace to accept your “no’s” to my prayers. Help me see your will behind these unanswered petitions. Allow me to have an open mind to see your sovereign grace that is willing only what is best for me. Amen.
