Singer Janice Joplin raised this question for a generation of Americans when she sang “Oh Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz.”   The implied answer was a definite No!  So the question today is a very good one, should we pray for material goods or not? How about praying for luxury goods?

In the Anglican Church throughout the world we begin our Communion Service with a prayer that may shed some light on this question:

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The God that we serve knows us more intimately than we even know ourselves.  He “from whom no secrets are hid” already knows us for our greed and selfishness; for our desires for things that we do not need, and for our grasping after things that are not good for us.

Probably the most idiotic thing that we Christian people do is to try to impress God with how wonderful we are.  We put on a big act for other people, and that’s one fault, but then we try to put on the same act for the One who made us and that’s just creating one huge and futile lie.

If I can offer one simple piece of advice to those I love, please just be yourself in your prayer life.  Apologize for who you are, if you embarrass yourself.  Hang your head in shame in your prayers, if that fits.  Be a bold and arrogant ass in front of your maker, if that’s who you are.  Be yourself with God, because He knows who you are and amazingly He loves you in spite of who you are, and the one thing that he asks of you is that you be your honest self with him.