Is it OK to ask God for 'stuff'?

Invariably, people who decide to seek God and subsequently choose to follow Him will have to come to grips with this question. Some feel guilty even entertaining the thought-others approach it with an attitude of 'spiritual entitlement' and ask away…for any and everything. After twenty years of conducting Bible studies for the 'not-too-spiritual but willing to listen in spite of their doubts and objections' people, I can tell you the question arises often. Generally, prayer requests from the group will be for friends struggling with sickness or disease, but occasionally someone will ask the group to pray for a business deal they're working on. When that happens, someone will almost tackle me after the study with a strong objection to the selfish nature of the request. So-what is the right answer? Is it OK to ask God for the mundane things in our lives…perhaps even the extravagant? Or-should we be totally altruistic in what we ask from God and try to satisfy all our selfish desires personally? As we come to know God, He unfolds the answer for us in several stages.

First, God begins to 'filter' what we want…our desires. In Psalm 37, David said:

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart…"

The order of events may be the reverse of what we hope for-even expect from God. Often, our thought-either consciously or sub-consciously-is more likely to be,

"If God will give me this, I will be delighted with Him…"

…sorta like God is our 'Genie in a bottle'. If He doesn't grant our wish, we can simply tell Him to go back to the family Bible on the coffee table in the living room and tell Him to stay there.

Next, God knows we don't need to be distracted by what is going on with everyone else. Have you ever watched children opening presents at Christmas? My wife's family always gathered at her parent's home for a big meal followed by the opening of presents. Trying to orchestrate thirteen grandchildren opening presents was always an exercise in futility. Their behavior was predictably the same; the children couldn't really appreciate their own gifts because they were so distracted by what their cousins received. You may say "How childish!", but God knew that we need to overcome the same childlike behavior. David continues in Psalm 37:

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways…"

Next God reminds us that measuring our 'toys' against others is not wise. The bumper sticker "The one with the most toys when he dies wins" may be humorous to some, but Psalm 37 offers a different perspective:

Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked…

In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

Psalm 37 contrasts the material values of people who seeks God's will in life with people who do not.

The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.

In his letter to the early believers in Philippi, the apostle Paul reveals the 'secret' of being happy with the 'stuff' we have:

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

The secret is to learn to be content…certainly not one of the material values we pick up in our society today. In fact, learning to be content is so humanly unnatural, we need to blend it with another personal quality to make it possible. In his letter to Timothy, Paul reveals the companion character trait…the one we started with in Psalm 37:

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

How can we be happy with what we have? Search for God and learn the secret of contentment. In Matthew's gospel, Jesus said that when we learn to do this, the 'stuff' in our lives will be taken care of:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Webster's defines contented as 'satisfied or showing satisfaction with one's possessions, status or situation'. Doesn't that sound better than 'struggling in life to acquire more toys than the other children'?