What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? (Luke 11:11).
I don’t remember why we started playing this game, but sometime this week I initiated a little game with my kids: what if you won a million dollars? First of all, what would be the first ministry we would give to? And secondly, what would be the first thing that you would like to spend money on?
We all listed different ministries that we’d like to give money to or support, then started talking about what we’d like to purchase with our million dollars. My daughter Avery said, “Candy!” That made me sick just to think about it. A million dollars of candy? That’s disgusting!
What God desires for us is better than what we desire for ourselves.
But you know, that’s how our Father must view so many of our requests when we come to him. It’s not that he doesn’t desire to give us good things. But what God desires for us is better than what we desire for ourselves.
There’s a reason why God doesn’t give Avery a million dollars though. Because he wants her to have teeth, and he doesn’t want her to die at twelve. He wants her to have what’s good for her.
That’s the kind of love and wisdom with which God is always treating us. Loving us enough to not give us what we want often times; and loving us enough to always give us what money could never buy.