Daddy, can I have a drink?

            "Daddy, can I have a drink?"

            Some of  you may have heard this before.  Many times.  Many, many times.  I remember one night when my daughter was younger and she and I were watching TV.  I heard it then.  She was really into the program.  Okay, okay... we were both really into the program.  A cartoon.  I had poured myself a cup of coffee and was reclining on the couch when she said it.

            "Daddy, can I have a drink of chocolate milk?"

            "Sure, Badoops."  (One of those terms of endearment.  No literal translation.)  And so I headed for the kitchen.  That's when I heard it again.

            "Daddy, can I please have a drink of chocolate milk!?"

            I peered out form the kitchen.  "Hey, Nutball. (term of endearment?)  I told you I'd get it.  What do you think I'm doing in here?"  Trust me.  I said it jokingly. 

            "Oh," she said with a smile, "I didn't hear you."

            It wasn't that I hadn't said it, she just hadn't heard me.  And why?  Because she wasn't listening.  She was distracted by something else.

            How many times have you asked God for "a drink of chocolate milk"?  How many times have you not listened for His response?  How many times have you been distracted and so you get frustrated with Him?  I could ask you to wait while I counted the times I have, but the body can't go without water for that long.  We do it all the time.  We pray to Him.  We put our lists of requests in front of Him.  But then we get distracted.  We have our eyes on something else.  We don't listen for His response.  So we get frustrated.  We think He isn't listening, that He didn't hear our prayer.  We think He isn't responding fast enough.  But guess what?  He heard you.  And He has responded.  Ask Daniel.

            "Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words."

            Uh oh.  A snag.  Have you set your heart to understand Him?  Have you chastened yourself, disciplined yourself, before God?  Have you set out to desire what He desires?  Well if you have, then from the first day you prayed that prayer, He heard you.  And He's on His way back from the kitchen with the glass of chocolate milk.   Do you think He'll call you "Nutball"?

SDG