I want it and I want it now!

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to teach them that they should always pray and never become discouraged. ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. And there was a widow in that same town who kept coming to him and pleading for her rights, saying, “Help me against my opponent!”’ (verses 1-3)

Read Luke 18:1-14

‘I want that one!’ cries the toddler at the checkout. Desperate to avoid a tantrum, Mum or Dad hands the item over. Does that sound familiar?

We live in a world which conditions us from an early age to expect instant gratification. If we’re not getting what we want, we expect someone to always be there to listen to our grievances and give in to our demands.

In our prayer life, too, we often expect an immediate and positive response. Recently someone said to me, ‘Why should I bother to pray? I’ve never got any of the things I asked for.’ What disappointment the speaker expressed. He now doubts that God even exists.

Are you anxious for an answer to your prayers? Do you think God doesn’t listen to you? Or do you always expect God to say yes? There are times when he says ‘No, my child’ or ‘Wait a while’. No matter what the answer is, it is important that you keep talking to your heavenly Father, for he always listens, he always cares, he always loves.

Dear God, thank you for always being there for me. Amen.

by Julie Weckert, in ‘God’s Peace for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2005)

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