Bible Text: Isaiah 58:11 | Speaker: Darlene Sala | Series: Encouraging Words | For a moment, pretend that you are God and you’re listening to these prayers.

“O Lord, help Danny to be high-scorer at the basketball game tonight so he can get the MVP trophy!” What a contrast to this one: “O Lord, send us money so this year Danny can go to school!”

Or, one family prays, “Please, God, give us good weather for our cruise!” while another prays, “Please, God, send rain to save our crops!”

“God, please, please help me lose weight so I can wear that beautiful new dress to the party,” a young mom prays, while another pleads with God, “Please, God, send us food so I can feed my family.”

If you were God, it’s not hard to figure out which prayers you would want to answer first, is it?

Now, is it wrong to pray for good weather for your vacation or for a successful career? No, of course not! But when we get a bit demanding with God and disappointed when He doesn’t give us every luxury we want, let’s get life back in perspective.

In the Bible we’re told to pray about everything, and I believe that means exactly what it says—everything. But don’t confuse that with thinking that we need everything. I think God must sometimes shake his head and smile when He hears what we who have so much think our needs are.

Rosie occasionally cleans house for my neighbor Terri. The other day Terri casually mentioned to Rosie that she had a lot of stuff she wasn’t using and needed to get rid of. “You’re rich!” commented Rosie. “No, really I’m not,” responded Terri. “Yes, you are,” said Rosie, “You have stuff you don’t use.”  That puts it back in perspective for most of us, doesn’t it!

So, go ahead and pray about everything—absolutely everything. But do remember that it’s our needs that God has promised to supply. The Bible says, “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs” (Isaiah 58:11).