Christmas Lists and Unanswered Prayers

You may be wondering what Christmas lists and prayers have to do with each other.  Great question!  Hang tight – if you haven’t figured it out yet, I love a good analogy.

For the last 2 weeks our kids have been honing their Christmas lists.  They’ve been scouring catalogues, noting TV ads and filling a note pad with ideas.  I gave them free reign to list even the most outlandish ideas, like a “real live puppy (a lab of any kind)” and another trip to Disney.   Then, we divided the lists into “wants,” “needs,” “things to wear,” “things to read or learn,” and “things to do.”   After all this, the three year old proudly proclaimed that Santa will give him everything!!

But then comes the hard part – the final list. 

This year each child is allowed to add only 3 “want” items to their Santa list, as well as something they need and something to read.   Apparently, this was very, very hard for them.  It was rather difficult for me too.  Mostly, I didn’t want to squash their enthusiasm and their fun.  Writing wish lists is a lot of fun, imagining playing with all those cool things! 

But also, I had to try to keep them realistic.  Santa is not bringing a puppy.  We are just not at a point in our lives where we can add a puppy to our house.  So we had to explain to our eight year old that asking for one would be a waste of a wish. 

They also wanted the shinier, newer version of some things they already have and some things that I personally don’t want in our house – like a game where the object is to not step in fake dog poo.  No, thank you!  Or as a friend of mine experienced, her child asked for $170 Lego set.  Yikes!  Our kids often don’t understand the cost of an item they want.  And what does it matter how much it costs because Santa can get it for them.

As we made our way through this process, I suddenly realized that my perspective with our kids’ wish lists must be very similar to the way God listens to our prayers. 

Don’t we all make a giant list of all our wants for Him? Maybe we don’t list them out in our prayers all the time, but He knows those desires are there.  Not only do we want all sorts of crazy material things, but we ask for really big things too.  And we don’t figure in the cost of those requests, either. 

Yet, unlike Santa, Our Father really can give us anything we ask.  Nothing is too great for Him.  So why does it often seems like my prayers go unanswered?

If I really take a look at my petitions, I begin to see that my list is a lot like my children’s wish list.  Quite often I’m asking for meaningless things (like a poo game) or things that are just not right at this time (like a puppy) or I don’t figure in the cost of an answered prayer.

And like all the parents directing the Christmas wish lists behind the scenes, God also takes into account all those details, even when we don’t.

But if I’m honest with all of you, I sometimes buy the foolish gift for my children anyway.  A poo game is not really detrimental in any way – I just get tired of potty humor – but it does bring joy to my children.  In the same way, some times Our Father will give us the silly gift because he loves to see His children happy.

Also, my whole family really does want another dog.  We want to grant our daughter’s wish for a puppy, but it will have to wait for a better time.  Maybe you have seen this in your own prayer life – you have asked God for something, but he delayed giving it to you.  It’s good to remember that God wants to give us good things, but often when we ask, the timing is wrong.

Lastly, and this is one I’ve been thinking about lately, we don’t count the cost of a thing we are asking for.  God can do anything we ask, but only He knows the cost.  Sometimes, our requests are so huge that we don’t understand how they will really affect us.  I know, personally, that if God granted all my requests right now, I wouldn’t be able to handle the outcome.  Life could be changed dramatically, and as a whole, us humans don’t do well with immense change.  We need the slow and steady, and Our wise and loving Father knows that. 

Here’s my last thought.  Do you ever gift your children things they haven’t asked for?

We do, all the time.  We see something that they didn’t even know existed, so couldn’t ask for it.  But we know they’ll love it, and usually we are correct.  It’s often a favorite toy.   

The same holds true for Our God.  Look around your life a bit.  Take tally of all the things you’ve been given that you never even thought to ask for, but now you wouldn’t want to be without.  It could be material, but also think deeper than that. 

You know what I never thought to ask for in prayer – a good husband, and deep, quality, loving friendships.  I never asked for a bountiful life.  And most importantly, I never specifically asked for a relationship with Him.  Of course I desired them, and He knew those desires.  Yet, it never occurred to me to actually ask for such things in prayer.  And yet here I am with all of them. 

How good and tender is Our Father who gives us all our hearts really need.

If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.

Matthew 7:11