Please, God?

A chilling feeling ran down my spine and I felt my muscles tighten as I the other day read about how a Danish boy had fallen of a cliff in Norway and died. He was hiking with his father and they had stopped for a photo. As the boy posed for his father to take the photo he stepped up on a rock, which was loose. He lost his footing and fell of the cliff and died. I cannot imagine how the father must feel, I don't even want to think how I would feel in a similar position, but my reaction was more than just empathy. I have a friend, who has 2 sons and I know he sometimes have taken them to Norway, I think most of the time skiing, but I seem to remember hiking too. For a split second I was afraid it was him and his son I was reading about and my immediate reaction was to mutter "Please, God, let it not be them".

As soon as I have said those words I was challenged in my spirit about them. What was it that I was praying? That God should make sure it was a family that I did not know that had suffered this tragedy? I quickly realised that was a very selfish and ungodly prayer. It would be more comfortable for me, if the victim was unknown, but the pain and despair felt by a family would be the same, whether known to me or not, and the grief felt by God would be exactly the same. I had to repent and instead pray that God would comfort and strengthen the family, who ever they were, and help them to somehow overcome their grief and loss.

After thinking about this prayer immediate prayer a couple of times I think I have come to the conclusion that the two words "please" and "God" should not be joined. Just like "No" and "Lord" does not go together, neither does "please" and "God".

When is "please" used? Apart from being courteous and well behaved, isn't it used when trying to make people do things they might not really want to do? When we come to God, we come to him as his children. Any parent have experienced their child asking for something, and when not quite sure you were about to meet their request they have added a "please" or maybe even a "pleeeease". That has nothing to with being well behaved or courteous; it is either begging or trying to manipulate so you can get what you want.

That is not how we should approach God. Our Heavenly Father already knows what is not only good, but best for us and he loves to bless us. We do not need to beg or manipulate him. There is no need for a "pleeeease", unless of course we are not seeking his will and what he sees is best, but what we want, regardless of whether it really is God's plan or will. Maybe that can be used as a guideline: If we feel the need to add a "please" to our prayer, maybe we should ask ourselves who's will and kingdom it is we are seeking.

Does that mean we cannot present our needs and even wishes to God? Of course not, but we do it, not with an attitude as if God is difficult to get something from and therefore we need to manipulate him to give us what we want, but with the attitude that we are approaching our heavenly and exceedingly generous Father, who cares for us and loves to bless us. We present our requests, not with manipulation and begging, but with thanksgiving (Phil. 4: 6) and let his peace fill us as we are assured of his love and providence.

This is not to say we cannot continue to present our prayers to God or cannot battle in prayer. We can and should persevere and battle in prayer, but also remember we are not battling against God, but together with God, and as the Imperials sang a long time ago, "God and we always have the majority".

Let us be bold and confident. Let us bring our request, big, small or huge, to God with thanksgiving knowing he is good and always wants what is best for us. Let us persevere and battle in prayer till we see God's Kingdom break through, but let us not be selfish or manipulative when we come to God.

Please?