I sometimes get concerned when I hear a prayer which appears to me to treat God as a butler.
For instance -
'I would like a nice English summer afternoon, sitting in my favourite chair in my garden next to my pond eating a cream tea'!
You never pray like that do you...
But that's the way I like to spend my time!
As Father (Mat 6v9, Jhn1v12) God delights to give good gifts to His children (Mat 7v11).
But also as Father He has a responsibility to teach, correct, discipline... (unlike a butler).
Imagine your prayer is answered and you have a 'nice English summer afternoon, in your chair by the pond...'.
A miracle!
But then God provides you with the cream tea by sending someone to you with it.
Oops if you want the cream in your mouth and not on your face need to start being nice to people.
Fine get over that hurdle.
But then God starts to mix into His provision an explosive ingredient - an explosive ingredient called 'relationship'.
Suddenly you find yourself praying - 'God rescue me, save my idyllic batchelor lifestyle'!
But what do you want - the idyllic or God's best?
Disclaimer: - This example is fictitious.
Any resemblance to real people (alive or dead) or an actual incident is purely co-incidental.
No cream teas wasted. No aquatic livestock mistreated.
Remember you can't go wrong praying along these lines:
'Your Kingdom come, your will be done' (Mat 6v10)
'Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness' (Mat 6v33)
What do you really want?
Is your life aligned with the Kingdom of God?
Don't know the way to go? - Seek, ask, knock... (Mat 7v7)