My Frosted Flakes Prayers

"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4: 3 NIV

I'm hungry. All the time. I suppose that comes with the territory while carrying the little bean!

So, as my pregnant, hungry self reached for the box of Frosted Flakes the other day, I filled my bowl to the top. And, when I say the top, I mean the top. Not one more flake was getting in that bowl. Ahhhhh...I couldn't wait to dig my spoon into that sweet, crunchy goodness. The problem: I still needed to add the milk. Oops! But, this hungry Momma wasn't taking one flake out of that bowl.

My solution: Place one hand over the filled-to-the-rim bowl, holding the cereal down, and slowly add the milk. My mantra: It will all fit...I know it will!

Of course, those precious, craving satisfying flakes started spilling over the edge of my bowl. All over the counter. The milk poured easily into the bowl, down and between all of the flakes. There was plenty of room for it...it was the flakes that made the mess. As I sat thinking about the ridiculousness of this situation, I realized that this was a perfect illustration of my current prayer life. My prayers are overflowing with Frosted Flakes.

Lately, when I turn to God in prayer, I come to Him with a bowl full of sweetened, sugar-coated requests. And I have a bowl full! They are so precious to me...each one. I bargain, deal, and methodically list off the righteous motives behind each petition, and plan to "dig in" as God fulfills my bests, for my life.

What am I finding? God is allowing my deceitful, sugary requests to spill over in all of their ugly excess so that I can see the reality of my heart. He lovingly imparts not the satisfaction of my cravings, but what my soul desperately needs. A quiet evening for time in His word. An encouraging blog post. A struggle that reminds me of my desperate need for His mercy. Grace to respond lovingly to my children. Real nourishment. Life-giving sustenance. Milk.

As I continue to work through this, I am praying that God will change my prayer life. I really, really want it to change. I am confident, that with God's help, it will.

"There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears." Philippians 1:6 .The Message