Vending Machine God

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mk 11:24)

When I was younger I believed in a vending machine God. I thought this verse meant that God’s answer was automatic because I was unfamiliar with the many verses that illuminate prayer more fully. I also thought it was somehow my faith that made the prayer come true, as though the power was with me. I forgot that God is an active participant in the process, and that the most important part of prayer is the Father’s will, not mine. And yet, I would do well not to make the opposite mistake, and somehow think that my faith is unimportant. God wants our will to be aligned with him, and our trust as well. The perfect prayer is both fully aligned with his will and completely confident in the power of God to bring it to pass. We know that God is faithful and true, and he has all power to accomplish his purposes. Our faith is not in a prayer or in a plan, but in God himself.