I remember in my youth when Janis Joplin sang, “Oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz.”
Are our prayers a variation on that theme? Asking for something from the big vending machine in the sky?
Maybe it’s more meaningful than getting a luxury vehicle. Maybe it’s for health, ours or someone we know. Or maybe impossible things like peace in the Middle East. Or just to pass the next Algebra test. (That may seem impossible to some.)
Some of these things we ask for just are not going to happen, no matter how much we believe in miracles.
Funny thing about God is the expectation that we have some responsibility for many of the objects of our prayers. After years or even decades of abusing our bodies, we pray for health. After years of bad decisions from not listening to the wisdom of scriptures, we pray for a miracle to get us out of trouble.
So some (many?) prayers go unanswered. But Jesus said if we ask for it we’ll get it. How to reconcile? We didn’t believe enough? Most likely there was an answer that we either didn’t recognize or don’t want to follow through.
Maybe we just have things backwards. How often have we been advised, “Just shut up and listen.”
Sometimes we just need to get things out of our mind and pile them on someone else. If a neighbor isn’t handy, then God will do. I suggest that before we seriously dump on God that we settle into the spirit. Then listen for God. Gaining perspective, we can converse, speaking and listening. Devote a little time to it. We will probably be surprised at the answers.
Faith Venture 
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