By Lere Olayinka
In the early 90s, we were in one of the old of generation churches in my hometown on December 31 for the annual ritual of “New Year must meet me in the church” stuff. A few minutes to 12 midnight, we were asked to begin to pray and ask God what He should for us in the coming year. Then, I heard a friend of mine asking for cars, houses, children, etc before the end of the coming year.
I was an apprentice shoemaker then while my friend was also an apprentice screen printer.
After the usual shout of “Happy New Year”, we left the church. Then I asked my friend, “you are an apprentice as myself, why not ask God to give you wisdom and grace to learn this job and establish yourself first? How do you build houses, buy cars and have children within one year as an apprentice?”
We both laughed and continued with the merriment of the new year.
Today, that incident of over 20 years came to my mind and I felt I should ask each and every one of us this Sunday, what manner of requests have we been making to God in prayers? Do you ask God to make you rich within 12 months even when you an apprentice like my friend?
Do you ask God for a brand new SUV and a duplex when your total annual salary where you are presently employed cannot buy a brand new motorcycle (Okada)?
If your answer to the above questions is yes, you are simply tempting God with your prayers!
One of the major reasons we don’t get our prayers answered is because most of us are not always realistic with our prayer requests.
Do not misunderstand me, God can do all things. However, there are things that God can do but He will not do.
For instance, God can make you sit in your house and food will appear on your table, but He will simply not do it. God can make money grow on the trees (after all, He brought forth money from the mouth of the fish), but He won’t do it.
Look at these two scenarios:
Matthew 4:5-7
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Luke 4:9-12
And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Now ask yourself whether or not Jesus could not throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple and nothing would have happened to him. But Jesus Christ opted not to be tempted and not to tempt God.
I have heard people pray the God should fix the economy of Nigeria and my reaction has always been that God don’t go about fixing economy of any nation. Rather, God created human and material resources that can fix economy of nations. It amounts to tempting God in prayers for anyone to pray to God to fix the economy of Nigeria because God has done what He should do for the economy of Nigeria.
Therefore, instead of praying that God should personally fix the economy of Nigeria, ask God to put men who can fix the economy at the helm of the affairs of the country.
If your income is say N30, 000 per month (N360, 000 per annum) and you desire a brand new car of say N5m next year, your main prayer should be a change of job. Instead of praying that God should give you money to buy a brand new car of N5m when your annual take home is N360,000, what you need God to do for you is a new job or opportunities that will give you the kind of income that you need.
If you are a student, what you need to seek from God majorly is wisdom, understanding and grace to face your studies and God’s blessing for your parents or sponsors so that they can see you through school.
Like I said, God can do all things, but there are things that He can do that He will simply not do.
He said in Matthew 7:7 that; "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.”
It is possible for God to give you whatever you need without even seeking for it and He can open doors for you without having to knock. But He needs you to make efforts and pray concerning your efforts.
Happy Sunday.
Lere Olayinka
23/10/16
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