What's Our Expectation of Prayer?

What are our expectations of prayer? Morgan Freeman was portraying God
in a movie a few months ago. "Evan Almighty" is a spoof about a
modern-day Noah, played by Steve Carell. As the movie opens, the wife
in this story prays that in the midst of everything going on in their
lives, God might help their family become closer. Later as her husband
is being transformed into this barge-building animal lover, she fears
he has gone insane. Then a stranger (Freeman/God) strikes up a
conversation with her and asks how she thinks God answers prayer:

Do you think when someone asks for patience He just gives them
patience, or does He create an opportunity for them to develop
patience? When someone asks for courage, does He simply give it to
them, or does He provide a chance for them to become courageous?
When someone asks for their family to be closer together, does He
fill them with a warm fuzzy feeling, or does He give them
opportunities to love each other.

From Rob Woodfin

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The thought that goes through when I watch Evan Almighty is the same as Rob. What do we really want from God? Does God wants us to grow like how we teach our kids to grow? Or are we expecting immediate gratification like what we are experiencing now in our i-World?

Character cannot happen in a flash of light. And that much God is showing us through the trials we go through. Just last night, housemate and me talked through the night, about prayers and about decision making that will bring maximum benefit to us and to God.

Who doesn't want the best that God can give? But God do give in ways that is really beyond our comprehension. He allowed me to go into a job, only to realise that life is more than a job. That time spend too much at work means lesser time for other stuff that God wants to build in us.

So my prayer was, God give me not just life but life more abundantly as Jesus has promised. So He did not sent down a bed of roses but something better, an exercise apparatus. Just like the gymnast, whose bulging muscles is the result of years of training and in the same way, we have to develop spiritual muscles, to hang on to the promises of God's especially in Jer 29:11.

Plans to give us life. Plans to bless us. Plans to give us Shalom; health, wholeness, prosperity and welfare.

And these plans are already here for us to take. Only our faith muscles have to be trained to accept them and keep them away from the thief and robber that is Satan.