Everything has to be fast today. Instant gratification rules. It seems that this immediate world expectation has also penetrated the prayer world. Many have seen the instantaneous miracles that occur on TV, resulting in the belief that God only does instantaneous miracles. Some even say I won't pray twice for something because that shows I have a lack of faith. Both of these beliefs are false. It's interesting to see that in the Bible, many people were healed over time, and many times, prayers were not answered immediately. Today, we will examine this reality.

Do you believe in equality? This is a political concept that is more widely proclaimed than it is understood. Equality normally means the same, but people are not the same, nor are they meant to be. So in what sense are they equal? Do you have children? Are they the same? Yet don’t you have the same love for all of them and on that basis love them equally and treat them equally? And in this sense they are equal even though they are different. The political concept of equality may be entirely secular, but can you make a case for it apart from a sovereign God who is over all?

Do you exercise your right to pursue happiness? Do you find more happiness by pursing pleasure or pursuing meaning? Both of these desires are hard wired into you, but only one is a spiritual imperative. Some people will voluntarily sacrifice pleasure to do things that are meaningful, but who can endure a meaningless life even if it involves pleasure? Other people have walked away from a pleasant life to do something of enduring worth. These are both visible expressions of what matters more.

What are you willing to die for? Is there a cause sufficiently greater than yourself that you would voluntarily sacrifice your life for it? You will die one way or another. People anticipate dying of causes related to age at the end of a happy and meaningful life. That is better than having your life cut short by injury or disease. Most people are never faced with the stark choice of giving their life for a cause. But is there a cause great enough to be worth it? The alternative is that preserving your own life is the most important thing and in this you will ultimately fail.