“Before You Ask Him” by Melanie Rigney (@melanierigney)
“(My word) shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” (James 1:12-14)
From all their distress God rescues the just. (Psalm 34:18)
Jesus said to his disciples: "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:7-8)
Piety
“The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you His unwavering strength that you may bear it. Be at peace, then, and set aside all anxious thoughts and worries.” —St. Francis de Sales
Study
Back in the day, Santa was often a disappointment for me.
I asked for a dark-haired, ponytailed Barbie; I got an ash-blonde bubble cut. I asked for an Easy-Bake oven; I got a no-name brand doll-size kitchen sink. But I never ever stopped believing in him, not until the day my mother told me who Santa was.
Why was it easier to believe in Santa, even when he didn’t always deliver as we asked than it is to believe and accept that the Lord isn’t always going to give us what we want? Whether we babble like pagans or like the children God loves so tenderly, our prayers can look like our childhood wish lists did, full of tangible, actionable items: Cure my mother’s stage-four cancer. Find a job for my chronically unemployed husband. Make my children more obedient. Stop the guilt tapes from playing in my head. Punish that drunken driver who killed my best friend.
And when our requests aren’t fulfilled exactly the way we want in the time period we want, too many of us stop praying. He’s not going to give us what we want, so what’s the point, we rationalize. We think we’re grieving and hurting Him, and perhaps we are. But we injure ourselves even further.
God isn’t Santa. We don’t always get what we think we want or deserve; we all know that. Some of us spend swathes of our lives without getting anything we desire, even very real things like food, water, clothing, friends, good health, earthly love. Faith is easy when we’re getting the things on our want lists. Initially, it’s hard to surrender those lists and pray for acceptance, obedience, and surrender to what He knows is best for us. But ultimately, aren’t those prayers for acceptance, obedience, and surrender what Christianity is all about?
Action
Meditate on the quote above from St. Francis de Sales. What thoughts and worries and directives is the Lord calling you to set aside?
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