Vending Machine Faith
Have you ever told God to “prove Himself”?
“OKAY, GOD, I’m going to give you a chance to prove yourself.”
When I was a child, I use to lay in bed and pray to God to give me certain things. I would lay in bed, with my hands tightly folded, and say things like “I really want to believe in you, God. So when I wake up in the morning, if there’s a thousand dollars (insert anything I was wanting) under my bed, I will know that You are real.”
Never failed, no matter how many times I prayed that or no matter what materialistic thing I was wanting, nothing ever appeared under my bed.
I never understand as a child, why there was not enough room under my bed for all of my requests. But as an adult, I soon realized that prayers were so much more than just my demands of God, and who was I to think that God was nothing more than a mere vending machine?
Like I could just deposit my prayer, push the desired button and WHAM! Get exactly what I wanted. No, that is not how it worked. Too many childhood myths had me fooled, afterall, God was not like the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. Not everything on MY list was on God’s list.
I’m afraid that many people are still like me when I was younger, they are looking under the bed for their answered prayers. And when they don’t get what they seem to think they need, they question God and His Power. Despite what they may believe, God DOES love to answer prayer. He may not leave the answers under our bed, but He does hear our cry and He promises that He will hear us.
“While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (Isaiah 65:24).
Prayer cannot be used as a coin in a vending machine though, and faith cannot be a button that we select according to our desires. God will not cave into our whims and wishes. God is bigger than that. In fact, He is God the Almighty, He longs for His children to come to Him and wait upon Him and His purpose.
When we stop going to God like a vending machine, we will be able to have the confidence in knowing that He has only the best for us. When we trust Him for our needs, we will never be empty. Vending machines run out of candy from time to time, but God’s love will never run out on us!
REFLECTION: Do you look under the bed for your answer or do you simply trust Him for all that you are in need of? Perhaps it is time to put a “out of order” sign on your vending machine and deposit your faith and prayers in God. He will hear you.
This was so good,Laurie! I would instead tell God if you do this I will do that. I now understand that isn’t how it works. So thankful always for your words,Laurie.
Thank you Heather!
Powerful message, Laurie. I know that God answers prayers, in His time. And we maybe do not like the answer to our prayers, but I know for sure that His answers are better for us and for our walk of faith.