Kidzone 16.
Your Questions Answered - If I ask God for something, will He give it me?
God has promised to give us everything we need (read Philippians chapter 4, verse 19) but, like any good father, hasn't promised to give us everything we want. There is a big difference! Some of the things we might need are food, clothes, homes to live in, families to look after us, joy - if we are feeling sad, peace - if we are troubled, patience - if we are waiting for something, and love - if we are finding it hard to get on with someone.
God always wants the very best for His children. However, He will never give us something that He knows would be bad for us. He loves us too much for that. So, the answer to the question is sometimes:-
"Yes" - God really wants you to have what you asked Him for.
"Wait" - God wants you to have that thing, but the time is not yet right.
"No" - God knows that the thing you asked Him for would not be good for you.
There is nothing wrong in asking God for things we want, but very often people ask God for something purely out of selfish motives, rather than thinking beforehand what might be best for others, or what God might want us to have. A better approach would be to ask God for His will to be done in your life, and then ask Him to place His desires in your heart. Then you will be able to pray for something with faith, being confident that it is also God's will that you should have whatever you ask of Him.
Note. Most of the questions that I answer on "Kidzone" were asked by children in some of the "Bible" classes that I take. However, if you have a question you would like answered, you can email it to me at mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz
Story - God knows best.
Many years ago an Irish girl, Amy Carmichael, was born with blonde hair and brown eyes. She wished, however, that her eyes were blue like all her brothers and sisters - she just didn't like looking different from them. One day Amy read in her Bible where Jesus promised to give her whatever she asked for. That night she excitedly prayed, asking God to change the colour of her eyes to blue. The next morning she expectantly looked in the mirror to check the colour of her eyes and, to her great disappointment, found them still to be brown.
Somewhat puzzled the young girl consulted her mother. "Why will God not give me blue eyes like my brothers and sisters?" Her wise mother replied "God knows best. He has given you brown eyes for a reason. God has planned your life out even from before you were born, and perhaps one day you will discover why He chose to give you brown eyes."
The years passed, and Amy became a Missionary to India. To her horror she discovered that young children were working as slaves in a factory near where she now lived. She knew that she must do something about it. Therefore she disguised herself as a native Indian, blackening her blonde hair with boot polish, browning her face and arms with coffee, and putting on a Sari dress.
Boldly the disguised missionary walked past the factory guards and managed to smuggle a number of the smallest children out by hiding them under her loose fitting dress.
Later, when this event was being recounted to some friends, one of them exclaimed "Isn't it lucky that you have brown eyes and not blue eyes like all your brothers and sisters. No-one can disguise the colour of their eyes, so if you had blue eyes you could never have fooled the factory guards by passing yourself off as an Indian!"
Conclusion.
Was it "luck" that that Amy was born with brown eyes? I don't think so. I believe that God gave her brown eyes for a reason. God "knows the end from the beginning." He knew that she would need to have brown eyes all those years later.
Sometimes we may pray and ask God for something. And although it may appear that there is no good reason why He shouldn't grant our request, we don't get what we asked for. At those times we need to trust God and to remind ourselves that, as with the case of Amy Carmichael, He sees "The big picture." Whereas we see only a little part of our lives, God sees all of it - past, present, and future. And only He knows what is really best for us.
Illusion - Predicting the future.
Write out the number "1089 " on a piece of paper, and seal it in an envelope. Ask a volunteer to look after it for you, and to be ready to open it when asked.
Ask for a second volunteer to come and do a maths calculation on a piece of paper (or a blackboard) for you. State that although the numbers will be chosen by your volunteer, you have already placed the answer to their calculation in the envelope which your first volunteer is holding.
Ask your volunteer to - 1. Write any three digit number on the paper or board. 2. Write the same number reversed under the first number. 3. Subtract the lesser number from the greater. 4.Reverse the answer obtained. 5. Add the last two numbers. Your final answer will always be 1089. Get your first volunteer to open the envelope - confirming your correct prediction.
Here is an example : -
825
528
-----
297
792
-----
1089
------
Here is a second example :-
107
701
-----
594
495
-----
1089
-----
Try a few calculations yourself, just to be completely convinced !
Laugh Break - "Hold your tongue."
Many of us have given, or been given, the good advice "If you can't say anything good about a person, say nothing at all." And some of us have at one time said to someone (or been told by someone to) "Hold your tongue." That is actually quite logical advice because, if you are physically holding your tongue (with a thumb and finger) it is difficult to say anything, either good or bad!
Write out some well known sayings, e.g. the first few lines of nursery lines, on pieces of paper. Get volunteers to come out and read those lines out loud while holding their tongues. The listners have to guess the well known saying that is being read (or mumbled) out.
