The God of the Little Problems

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
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Let's pray that your business will succeed, and that you'll be able to get along with that person who makes life miserable for you. Okay? No? Why not?

Take a quick quiz for a moment:

Yes No

God is too busy to hear about these little things.
2. I feel guilty about asking Him, unless I'm a super saint.
I'm shouldn't ask Him for things for myself, especially monetary things.
If I'm going to pray, I ought to be praying for biggies like people starving in Ethiopia.
You ought to take care of your problems as best you can yourself, and not bother Him with it unless you just can't handle it.
6. All of the above.

If you answered "yes" to any of the answers above, do I have good news for you! Correct answers are found below:

1. A "no" answer here shows that you know the God of the infinite PBX. Our phone system at church has two lines. If both lights are lit, no one else can call in. But God is not limited like we humans to a one-or even a ten-track mind. You've surely heard about those chess masters who can play 24 games of chess simultaneously and win every one? God can carry on a humungous number of conversations at the same time, and not miss a detail. We're talking mega-capacity.

2. A "no" answer to this question demonstrates that you understand a lot about God's tremendous mercy. None of us is worthy to ask God anything. We are sinners. We've blown it. We are guilty. But God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. When we put our trust in Jesus, God forgives us completely, and invites us to come to Him with our problems, just like a caring father loves for his child to come and talk to him. A father would be hurt if his little daughter ignored talking to him. Prayer is talking to our Father.

3. A "no" answer here shows that you understand your Father cares about every aspect of your life. No, "gimmie, gimmie" prayers are as tiresome to God as they are to a parent. But when we really need something for ourselves, even a good job or enough money to pay the bills, we can and should ask our Father. But it ought to be part of a whole relationship with God. "Hey, dad, can you send me $20," is a rather incomplete relationship. Then again, maybe it's a place to start a relationship. Tell Him Pastor Ralph told you to call.

4. Sure you ought to be praying for starving people in Ethiopia. But that doesn't mean you can't pray for less dramatic needs in your own life. We can pray anytime. About lots of things. So why save it up for the biggies? Who'd want to talk to you only if you have some heavy-duty crisis. He'd appreciate you talking to Him about some of the littler problems too? It's what you call down- to-earth.

5. A "no" answer is right on. I once heard about the lady who told her neighbor: "It got so bad I finally had to pray about it." "Oh, has it come to that?" was her friend's response. So why do we avoid God? Why do we put off talking to Him? Maybe we're afraid He'll cut in on our act. Who does He think He is, anyway? Try Creator, or Lord, or Savior. How about Friend? Real life, you know, is life shared with Jesus. Anything else is second best.

6. I hope you didn't answer "all of the above." But if you did, do I have good news for you. You must be awfully lonely. You have a Friend in Jesus, someone you can talk to about anything! And someone who will be your Partner in everything. It all starts with a simple prayer: "Hey. Is anybody home up there? I've got a problem I'd like to talk to you about . . ."