Day 71

 

Don't Scrimp on the Shrimp

 

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." 

 

Matthew 6:33

 

You may have heard about the lady at the Fort Worth area restaurant that called 911. Was there someone choking at the restaurant? No. Was there a robbery at the restaurant? No. So, what was the emergency? She ordered shrimp fried rice and she didn't think there was enough shrimp in it.

I like shrimp almost as much as Bubba in Forest Gump and I would be disappointed if a restaurant scrimped on the shrimp. I can't see calling 911 and complaining though. You see, you can get in trouble for making a frivolous call to the 911 operator. 

Some people think of prayer like it is calling 911. They don't want to bother God with the little stuff; they just call on him when a loved one is having surgery or had a car wreck. God can certainly help us in times of need but he is not just a cosmic emergency response team. God doesn't get over worked or swamped with too many requests. You can call on God for the small stuff too.

Now just because God wants to hear all our requests, big or small, doesn't mean we should be praying, "Lord, I need more shrimp here." To have a conversation with God only when you need something is missing out on what prayer is supposed to be. God does encourage us to ask for what we need but that in no means makes him our supernatural waiter making more shrimp magically appear in our rice. God wants to have a conversation with us, a relationship with us.

My son asks for stuff he needs all the time but he also wants to me to listen to some new music he has recorded or talk to me about school. I give him what he needs and sometimes what he wants that is beyond his needs because he is my son and I love him and have a good relationship with him. God has  adopted us into his family and prayer is a family chat.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read Matthew 6:25-34

• Does God know what we need?
• Not trusting God for what we need is a lack of what?
• Are we promised trouble free days?