April 24, 2024
Have you ever thought about the significance of the cup holder in your vehicle? During the early years of automobile design, the cup holder was a rarity. No one was buying a vehicle because it had luxuries like a cup holder. By the late 1980s though it was common to find more cup holders in a vehicle than passengers. So what changed in our culture that pioneered the way the interior of our vehicles were designed? The drive-thru! In-N-Out Burger gets credit by most for having the first drive-thru in 1948. Using a state of the art intercom, the restaurant lived up to its name by having customers in and out in record time.
When you visit your favorite fast-food chain, you do so knowing that it likely isn’t the healthiest food option for your body. But why are so many drive-thru lines bumper to bumper with customers? Simple: it’s a matter of time, money, and convenience. You can grab a meal quick, cheap, and almost any time day or night. But what happens when we apply that same “have it now” mentality to our spiritual lives?
As we grow in our desire to have a deeper relationship with God Our Father and Jesus Christ, prayer is the means by which we connect, and part of that contact includes asking for our needs. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
God is the giver of all our gifts. He wants us to petition Him for our needs. Psalm 107:9 reminds us that “He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” From the things He gives us, we get the spiritual, emotional, and physical nourishment we need.
The tension though we wrestle with is the instant gratification our world is set up to provide—fast food restaurants being just one of many examples. We can’t just pull up to God’s throne, ask for whatever we want, and have it in 180 seconds or less. Answered prayer is ultimately not up to you- never has been and never will be.
The drive-thru is a great convenience, but it’s merely that, a convenience. Be careful not to apply that same expectation on God’s timing of delivering your “daily bread.”
