by: Andrew Cape
Have you ever wanted something really bad but knew you couldn’t have it?
Several years ago, I worked for a grocery store and one day a lady came through the bakery and I overheard her conversation with her little boy. The little boy saw some glazed doughnuts sitting on a shelf and said to his mother, “Mommy, can I have some of those?” The mother replied with a smile, “Honey, you don’t need those. You’ve had plenty of sweets!”
They continued on with their shopping and soon approached the produce department. Still on the lookout for a treat, the little boy saw some Buddy Fruit pouches sitting in a display and again said to his mother, “Mommy Can I have some of those?”
The mother picked up the Buddy Fruits and read the ingredients on the back. With a smile on her face she smiled and said, “Yes, Honey! How many would you like?”
Immediately I began thinking about our relationship with God. When God speaks to us, He speaks to us through His Word, and we have the privilege of speaking to Him through prayer.
In Luke 1:30 the Bible says, “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.”
Mary was one of God’s favorites. God had her heart. Mary had kept herself clean and pure for God to use, and when He saw her vessel was clean, He no doubt smiled and said, “I can use Mary!” What an amazing opportunity she had to be the mother of our Saviour, but she would have never been given this privilege had she chosen to live a dirty life over a clean life.
The little boy in the grocery store wasn’t a perfect little boy, but his heart belonged to his mother. Just the fact that he existed no doubt brought joy to her day. Do you realize that God feels the exact same way about you? You are precious to Him! (Psalms 139:17) He longs to give you exactly what you need, but God wants you to have the right desires.
In Psalms 37:4 the Bible says, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
God never promised to give us everything we ever wanted, but He did promise to supply our needs. He never promised to give us everything we desire, because not all of our desires are healthy. Sometimes He has to pick up the ingredients to see if it’s what we need. So if we earn the favour of God, He will supply our needs.
The problem with God’s people today is they haven’t given their own desires over to Christ. That little boy’s desires were in the hands of his mother. He had no control over the situation, but in the end he was happy because she knew exactly what he needed.
For just a moment, put yourself in that little boys place. How will you respond in the grocery store of life? Here are three ways to get exactly what you need.
First, be patient when things don’t go your way.
God wants us to be patient in our prayer life. Just because we may not receive what we want right away doesn’t mean God won’t give us what we need. I heard it said once that when we pray, God might not answer our prayers exactly the way we want Him to, but when we don’t pray, we don’t even give Him a chance. Be patient, but don’t give up asking. (James 4:2)
Secondly, God wants you to desire the things you need.
Some things in this life are unhealthy for us. Bad eating habits lead to heart attacks, obesity, and in many situations, death. The result of sin will always be death (Proverbs 14:12), and desiring the wrong things spiritually will lead to a malnourished Christian life that will result in spiritual tragedy. God wants you to have things in your life that will benefit you spiritually, such as the Word of God, preaching, and soul winning.
Lastly, and most importantly, continue to make God smile.
One thing I noticed about the mother that day is that she smiled both times after he had asked for things. The reason she could smile is because she still had his heart. Are you living a life that makes God smile? The worst thing I could have ever heard my parents say growing up is that I had disappointed them. I have always wanted to make them proud because they already had my heart.
Is God disappointed in you? Or, does He smile upon your life?
In James 5:16 the Bible says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” This verse simply means that fervent prayers from righteous people bring about much good. The key word is righteous. When sin enters our life, it hinders us from obtaining what we need.
I pray that it is your desire to become one of God’s favorites. But the truth is, behind every favorite is a smile. So we must learn to please Him first. (Matthew 6:33)
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you found favour in your life with God and grew old dwelling in the will of God? Don’t you long to make God smile? If so, then choose today to be that clean vessel He can use. I promise, you will have no regrets. Keep making God smile!
Andrew Cape
Youth Pastor
Bibleway Baptist Church
Powder Springs, GA