Right prayers

Last week we compared prayer to a key that will open a cupboard labelled, “What God wants to happen”.  But do not think that, when we ask for the right things which God wishes us to have, then the cupboard will open immediately and we shall have them at once.  It may do, but more likely it may not, because, before God gives us what we ask for, he first waits until we are ready to have it.

Suppose, for example, that a small child asked his or her father for a two wheel bicycle with gears.  Well, the father wouldn’t give the bicycle until he was sure the child was going to be able to learn to ride it safely, even if it meant waiting six months or a year.  And by that time the child would be ready to learn to balance on it and work the gears and the brakes.  Therefore, by keeping us waiting for an answer to our prayers, God not only makes sure we really want what we are asking for, but he also teaches us how to make the best use of it when we get it. 

So we must be patient and persistent in our prayers, knowing that God will give us the right thing at the right time.