Throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself as one who takes care of the welfare of people- those who are downtrodden and needy.  He is one who knows and fills the needs of the people, who enriches the lives of human beings and helps those who are under unfortunate circumstances. The long list in Psalm 146 describes God as one who upholds the cause of the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, watches over the foreigner, and provides for the orphan and the widow. All included in this list are those who are lacking, those who are desperately in need of something that would help them live a more fulfilling life.  The Bible is not shy about God filling immediate, real needs. Fortunately for us, it does not just promise ethereal answers to real physical problems; it does not promise solutions that only come in the life to come and do not meet the needs of the people now. God does indeed set prisoners free. He does make the barren woman fertile. God does grant us victory over the enemy army that is coming to destroy us.  God does indeed raise the dead. Although He is not a fix-all, cosmic vending machine, He does indeed resolve the root issues of our problems and presents Himself as the solution to our problems.

If this is so it is fair to ask the question, “What is the difference between a cosmic vending machine and God?” All of us would have to admit that often times we make God out to be a cosmic vending machine in the way we relate to Him regarding our prayers. We would prefer to deal with an automaton that is predictable and gives us exactly what we want rather than deal with a sovereign, almighty Creator of the universe with His own mind, will and emotions; the latter is much more complicated and difficult. The vending machine lacks such devices. Basically the vending machine has no say or control over what we get out of it. It has to give us exactly what we decide for it to give. On the other hand, we cannot control God. God does whatever He wants. Unlike the vending machine, God often times gives us what is far better than what we desperately want, even to our dismay, because He is our loving Father. Moreover He has the authority to say no when we ask of Him things that are unnecessary or that will harm us. This is because through the cross, we have stepped into a relationship of love with Him that can never be broken. God has the sovereignty to not act as we request, plead, and sometimes command Him to do, because He is God and our loving Father. Moreover He has the authority to say “Not yet.” Perhaps what is most difficult for us is to wait on the promises of God. The reason for the delay may be that we are still immature in our faith and character to receive our answers or that other spiritual logistics has yet to be worked out. Whatever the reason God has the sovereignty to act as He pleases when we pray to Him. And however the response, we can trust that God wants and is acting for our best in His response to our prayers. There is no room for such a relationship with a vending machine. There is no surrender or obedience, communion or fellowship with an automatic gift dispenser. In our relationship with God the basis is always trust. Regardless of how God answers our prayers, we must trust God. We must always look upon Him with the basis of trust in Him. There is no trust in our dealing with a cosmic vending machine; we only take as we want. There are no such things as a maturing of faith, or the deepening of relationship. In contrast, in between us and God, whenever we pray, it is an opportunity for our relationship with God to be strengthened and matured.
Perhaps what God sees and deems more important than merely giving us whatever we want, is the relationship of trust between us and Him. Always the relationship comes before the answer to prayer. What God wants more than giving us or not giving us our answers to prayer  is to cultivate in us a certain attitude towards Him regardless of whether  He gives us what we want or not. Will our relationship with God still be solid even if our prayers seem to go unanswered? Will we continue to love God even if we do not get what we want? Will we continue to trust Him when our loved ones die of cancer, when our finances hit rock bottom, when our lives are falling apart? God will allow us to be tested and allow everything that can be shaken to be shaken so that what cannot be shaken will remain standing. If that is true, then what should hold more weight to us is not whether our prayers get answered but whether we trust in God or not. What takes precedent is our relationship with God. If indeed we receive what we’ve asked from Him but are pulled further away from Him in the process nothing could be a greater misfortune.

This means that our relationship with God, one as between Bride and Groom, one that is careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit, walking such a narrow path of faith should be our greatest focus and not on whether we get what we want from God through our prayers. What is of importance is whether we can continue to quietly trust God however our lives pan out. Are we living each day trusting all the more in God’s love and experiencing His power in our lives? If not it may be that we are focused more on getting what we want from God rather than on God Himself. In that case what we desperately want could become our idol.

God desires to give us our heart’s desire. What parent will withhold a good gift from their child if it is good for them? God is not some mean parent that purposefully withholds something good from us in order to cause misery. There is even a promise in Scripture, “Take delight in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Yet there is a catch to that phrase. First comes the delighting part; we are to find everything we need in Him and delight ourselves in Him. This is a precedent. Then comes the fulfillment of our desires, our answers to prayer. The relationship always comes first.