Daily Devotional

There’s lots of things I’ve prayed for and hoped I would get the answer I wanted. One such time was the night before my eighth birthday, and I prayed to win a million dollars from a box of cereal.

Let me back up and add some context. As kids growing up we didn’t often have the amazing delicacy known as “sugar cereal.” However, on our birthdays we had a tradition in our house that we could pick out whatever cereal we wanted for our birthday breakfast. This was always a weighty decision in our house. Not only do you only get one shot a year at this, but you also have 4 siblings depending on you to pick a good cereal so they too could benefit. One year my dad talked me into picking a box of Wheaties and I never lived down the disappointment I brought into the house.

I still remember my 7-year-old self painstakingly looking at each box of cereal. I usually went for the biggest box of the sweetest cereal I could find, but this year a box of Cap’n Crunch caught my eye. Right on the front it said, “One box will win $1 million!” Sugar cereal AND a million dollars? Sign me up!

I went to bed that night praying and praying that I would win the million dollars. I went to bed pretty certain I was going to become a millionaire the next day but when I woke up and opened that box of Cap’n Crunch all I got was cereal.

I learned a good lesson that day; God doesn’t keep promises He never makes. God never promised to make me a millionaire so I couldn’t be disappointed with Him when He didn’t. On the flipside, we know that God ALWAYS keeps the promises He does make.
James 1:5 offers an amazing promise; if we ask God for wisdom, we WILL receive it. Just think about that! We are guaranteed a dose of heavenly wisdom if we only ask. I love that James says, “if any of you lacks wisdom.” I have yet to meet the person who doesn’t lack wisdom in some way.

We’re not guaranteed an easy life, a successful life, or a comfortable life, but we are guaranteed wisdom to face whatever may come. I think God wants us to bring our requests to Him, but we have to remember that we’re not guaranteed to get the answer or outcome we want…except when it comes to asking for wisdom. Not only will God give us wisdom, but He’ll do so generously. What an amazing promise!

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.