Daily Devotional for October 3

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October 3                                                      Matthew 7: 1-12

Many of us daydream about what wonders we could perform
if only we were to win the state lottery. With millions of dollars
at our disposal, we could ease our own daily burdens and do
so much good for others.

Just imagine. We could help our families, our churches, and
our charities while we cruised the Caribbean. After all, we're
Christians.

"Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find", to-
day's Scripture tells us. So what do we do? Do we simply jot
down our lottery guesses, say a prayer, and wait patiently while
thumbing through travel brochures? Do we quit our jobs and
pencil in several extra zeros on our tithe check?

No. From past experience, we know it doesn't work that way.
Our God is a wise and loving Parent who answers our requests
in a wise and loving manner.

Imagine the chaos that would follow if everyone who prayed
to win millions did so. Our government would go bankrupt,
inflation would soar, non-winners would fall into extreme
poverty, and our winnings would melt away as we tried to
correct the havoc caused by sudden mass wealth. We'd be
worse off than before.

A wise pastor advises us that if our prayers seem to be going
unanswered, we should question the prayers, not our God.

And she's right. We should pray with our hearts that God's
will be done in our lives. We should ask not just for deliverance
from troubles, but for the wisdom and strength to live through
them. Instead of praying to win the lottery, we should pray
to be empowered to do wonders without winning.

When our prayers truly come out of love for God, the door
will be opened to us. We won't need a million bucks to be
winners.

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From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.1989