Sermon Illustrations

I don’t see as many vending machines around as I used to see. The ones I see now, you can pay with your phone or your smart watch. In the old days, all the vending machines had the food on metal coils that would rotate and move the food forward when you make your selection. Sometimes, that item would tip over and get wedged on the glass. What then? Some folks would buy another of the same item to get it to move. Some would tap on the glass over and over. Some would take both hands and rock the whole thing back and forth. I had my own way – I would put my hip against the glass and give it a good nudge. Always worked for me!

We have to be careful… it’s very easy to start viewing God as our personal “Heavenly Vending Machine.” You know how it goes – I say the right prayer or quote the right Bible verse or make sure it’s in Jesus’ name. We seek a way to guarantee we are going to get what we want. Let me assure you that God answers every prayer – 100% guaranteed. Here are the four answers we can get:

• Yes – that’s in line with My will so it’s coming right now.

• Yes – but the timing is wrong so you have to wait.

• Yes – It’s not what I want for you but I will let you have it to learn a lesson.

• NO (that’s an answer – just ask the parent of a 2-year-old) 😊

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