When I was a young boy, my father used to take his car to a shop near by when it needed some tune up.

I still remember an interesting story the mechanic told us one time:

He said that a few days earlier a man came with a car that was misfiring. The man asked the mechanic to replace the spark plugs, which he did. The man drove the car around the block and came back reporting the engine was still misfiring, and requested the spark plug cables to be replaced. The mechanic followed his instructions and replaced the cables. Another drive around the block, and again the report that the problem continued.This time the man asked the mechanic to adjust the ignition points gap (remember those?), which he promptly did.

Since the problem persisted, the man started to be impatient and asked why the mechanic was unable to fix his car. The mechanic replied the man had never asked to have the problem fixed. He made very specific requests, which were followed literally. If he wanted the problem fixed it would be very easy. All he needed was to have the carburetor cleaned up.

This story makes me think that when we pray in many cases we act just like the man who thought he knew better than the mechanic.

I am glad God doesn’t always give us what we request. That is a good thing. We would be in so much trouble if He did. Fortunately He knows better.

One time I saw a sign in front of a church that said: “Everybody wants to serve God…as consultants”

Who is the Lord and who is the servant?

Think about that next time you pray.