© 2006, by Lionel Thompson

I have always felt a tinge of "something sounds off" when I pray for God to prosper me. Yesterday walking in the rain it occurred to me that if you are going to play the lottery with God you at least need to buy a ticket.

God has really blessed us this past year with a good job and a home of our own. It caused me to think - what if we had just helped our daughter get a home and she soon afterwards comes to us explaining that she needs more money cause her bills are higher, and Oh yes, she needs another car. My wife and I would be a tad bit reluctant to dish out. And yet, if she came to us and explained, yes she needed another car and income to pay bills, but had this entrepreneural plan that she’d been working hard on to cover these added costs - could we help her get it up and running. Boy, we’d be excited.

The analogy of standing in a field praying for apple trees to miraculously grow out of the ground has embarrasingly been how I’ve at times approached provision from God.   And God’s response…  "plant the dang seed, you lazy bastard (said a bit nicer), and then I’ll make it grow".