Jesus’s prayer                                                    March 18, 2010

I’m glad that God isn’t a vending machine!

Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I had been working out East of Lake Bronson on a hot Summer day and was on my way back to Hallock to put my tools away and go home to rest. It had been one of those days and I was worn out and seriously thirsty. I stopped at a pop vending machine and I stuck my dirty hand into my pocket to see what I had left for cash. I was so relieved to feel the paper dollars and the coins, knowing that at least I could enjoy the last 15 miles to Hallock drinking a refreshing, cold soda. I studied the machine and saw that it took dollars, so I thought "perfect, I’ll get a couple of bottles"…I was sooo thirsty and I could almost taste the bubbly soda, clearing out the dust from my throat. I put in a dollar and change and pushed the button of my favorite soda. There was a sound but no bottle fell out of the machine. I couldn’t believe it, but how could I blame a machine for my woes…since I was the one that pushed an empty button. Well, after looking over the rest of the buttons I found that what soda that was left wasn’t to my liking so I went down the street to another. This machine only took coins so I studied my money situation and I assessed that I had "just the right amount". What happened next has been scorched into my memory. I slipped a few quarters into the machine only to see that the mechanism inside must have been stuck. There was only the noise of my coins coming to a halt on the way down and it didn’t register that I had put anything in. I didn’t have enough money to try for another bottle. I got back into the service truck and started my trip to Hallock…disgusted and even dryer throated than I was a few minutes ago.

Just think if God was the vending machine that we sometimes expect Him to be. Would we be satisfied if He gave us everything we asked for…whether it’s good for us or not? It’s safe to say that God is better at being God that we are at even our best. He knew us when we were in our mother’s womb…obviously He knows what we need. It has been said that "If we want to pray successfully then we must pray for God’s will". The next rational question would then be "how do we know what God’s will is?" At the end of this passage in Matthew Jesus tells us how to approach God about our needs when He says "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Donnie Thorlacius