Ask Not What God Can Do For You; Instead, Ask What You Can Do For God

Ask Not What God Can Do For You; Instead, Ask What You Can Do For God

People are sometimes disappointed when their prayers are seemingly unanswered, and they conclude that either God does not exist, or that he does not love them, or that he is powerless.

They overlook the simple answer - God is not Santa Claus. Every good little boy does not get a shiny new bicycle at Christmas, and every good little girl does not get a pony.

Many prayers and worship follow the same “Gimme” format:

You are so great!
You are so clever!
You are so talented!
I love you!
I adore you!
Gimme {Insert Desire Here}
Since this approach usually does not work on your wife, who loves you, why are men constantly amazed and disappointed when God responds the same way?
The lack of response does not mean that God does not love you, nor that God is incapable of fulfilling your request. It simply means that God has other items on her agenda (Perhaps she has a headache!)

Jesus initially prayed that he not be sacrificed, but when those prayers went unanswered, he eventually prayed for the strength to persevere. Perhaps our prayers should follow the same pattern. Instead of "Gimme" prayers asking that the world be altered to suit us, perhaps we should be asking for the wisdom, courage, strength and love to persevere through whatever the world deals us. Instead of praying for God to perform miracles to tend to the needy, the homeless, the destitute, the incurably ill, perhaps we should pray to God for guidance, motivation, and means to tend to these tasks ourselves. Perhaps then we would realize that our prayers are being answered.