Well this weekend, I needed to go shopping – possibly the first time I have really had to go shopping – yes I promised my husband I would so I did – the price of integrity.
The first thing that hit me when I was going through the racks is that: prayer and shopping are very similar. I’ll share some nuggets God shared with me...
# 1. Both of them have a window of opportunity...whereas, prayer has a constant window of opportunity (i.e. God is always available to us) we can’t say the same thing about shopping. Let me explain: before I embarked on my shopping trip (indeed it was a trip – it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever done something like that too), I prayed for favour and guidance. I also prayed that God will lead me to the right stores where I’ll get what I need at an acceptable price for the quality I want. The first store I entered had an amazing sale on, which I later found out was their “one-day spectacular sale”- no wonder there were so many people there – including me who was totally oblivious of this event. I went there just in time – it was my window of opportunity.# 2. To get the best deal (s), shopping requires purpose and persistence. If you’re not sure what you want before you go shopping you’re likely to come back home with either nothing or with a lot of things you really don’t want or even need – sound familiar? Likewise, when you pray, you need to have a definite purpose in your heart.
The Bible has this to say about both "points of pressure":
- Purpose in Prayer: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (James 1: 5-8; New International Version). The purpose of asking God is to receive, there's no point in doubting – when you do, you lose out.
- Persistence in Prayer: The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. (James 5:16b-18; New Living Translation) Not only did Elijah have a definite purpose in his heart when he prayed, he kept at it until his servant said there was a sign that the rain was on its way (see 1 Kings 18: 42-45)
# 4. Indeed, we don’t receive, because we don’t ask! I wanted a particular item but it was not until I spoke up that my friend and I sought and found it. The Bible is clear on this: “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”(John 16: 25 - New King James Version) So if you don’t ask or seek in a store, you may not get or find what you need/want.
# 5. Prayer and shopping are also similar in that, it’s not every time you ask that you receive. I found something I liked but needed it in my size and it was not available – indeed I asked and didn’t receive. The Bible tells us that: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures (James 4:3; New King James Version) Just as we can be assured of receiving items that are either in stock (or still being produced) when we ask for them, we can only receive things that are part of “God’s inventory “as defined by His will. The key here is once we A.S.K according to His will, we will receive what we have asked for. See 1 John 3: 14-15: And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. (New Living Translation)
It was truly a nice feeling of God directing my shopping cart according to His will. At the end of an exhausting and yet fulfilling day, in giving thanks to God for a lovely day that was more than I imagined to ask for, I prayed that I’ll be able to spend as much time praying as I did shopping.
As I was looking for pictures of shopping carts for this piece I found the one on the left which brings one stark difference between shopping and prayer:you cannot buy the whole world but you can pray for the whole world.
Ladies, let’s do more of that and less shopping...I'm sure the world will be a much better place too.
(Now I need to go to bed to rest...good night & God bless us all.)
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