Right you lot, you've worn the Rev out, it must be all that talk of fluffy dressing gowns and jealousy, but she's having a rest this week.
Due to the unseasonably warm sunny weather today, I've not put the heating on, but thought everyone might like some ice cream! The question is though, is it OK to PRAY for it?
I think if I were to suggest that at my local church, all the old ladies would have several dozen fits, as it would be COMPLETELY inappropriate and disrespectful to bother God with such a prayer. Their blue rinses would turn white with horror!
Yet, so many times when I see requests for prayer, either here on the internet, or when people ask for prayers in real life, there seems to be a sense of guilt, that their prayer request is too small, too paltry to bother God with, when other people have things wrong in their lives which seem much more important.
It's almost like people think that God has a prayer box which our prayers go into, and that once it's full, God can't POSSIBLY hear any more prayer requests. Or that we should pray for all the important stuff first, before even beginning to consider what we might call our teeny tiny prayer requests.
So saying to God "hey God, I'd really love a bowl of Ben and Jerrys tonight", could be seen to be trivialising prayer. How many other things would you have to pray for before THAT request might be worth bothering God with?
See, this is where we've got prayer "arse over tit", to put it crudely. St Paul gets it spot on in his letter to the Philippians "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus".
And by "everything in prayer" I MEAN everything (well, except for praying what colour socks I should wear today ). I regularly pray for a parking space when I'm in town, knowing spaces are few and far between. And do you know I reckon it WORKS? You would not believe how often a car pulls out just as I need a space! How trivial is THAT? But, by the time you've thought about "ooo should I really be praying for this, it's a bit silly", you could have offered up a quick prayer and have done with it.
But don't just stop there. When you fall out with one of your children or a partner, offer up a quick prayer that you can be reconciled. When you hear of someone who is ill, say a prayer for them. Right then, on the spot. If you hear of a disaster on the news, pray. Doesn't have to be out loud, you might get some funny looks in Currys whilst watching the news on that mega-huge widescreen TV. If you see an opportunity to pray, or a situation that needs prayer, then pray! Before long, prayer will become second nature, and a quick prayer for ice cream will seem the natural thing to do!
A word of warning, though - if God doesn't deliver a bowl of Haagen Dazs, don't think it's because prayer doesn't work. God is like any parent, he knows what is good for us, even if we don't. If I gave my children ice cream every time they asked for it, they'd be as fat as pigs and as sick as a dog! God does truly answer prayer - it might not be when we want, it might not be what we want, but we should trust him to know what is best for us, as he has the bigger picture.