Is it okay to tell God what we most desire? Does God want us to simply sit back and accept whatever the Universe dishes out? Or do we have a pathway to God that may be used to bring about a hoped-for outcome?
This is not a small question. Every religion on the face of the earth teaches about the efficacy of prayer. “Even before you ask,” some religions teach that God says, “I will have answered.”
Is this true? Can this be what is so?
Yesterday in this space in my Thanksgiving Day post I wrote about the power of faith, demonstrated in our willingness to ask God ahead of time for what we want. In response to this the following Comment was posted…

Your Name
November 28, 2008 1:44 AM
“It is even more powerful to decide ahead of time what that goodness will be.”
Last time I tried that, it was clearly demonstrated that what I decided was not what was going to happen, and I ended up profoundly disappointed.
So, no thanks. God does what He does for a reason, and it’s not for me to tell Him what to do.

Is this true? Can this be what is so? Perhaps it IS “not for us to tell” God “what to do” – but is it okay to ASK? Is it okay to pray? And is it okay to pray with absolute faith that our prayers will be answered? I wonder if the person who posted the item above would be willing to answer these questions – and whoever else of you would like to as well. I am needing to be enlightened on this subject.
When we pray with absolute faith, are we “telling God what to do”…? Is that what you call “faith”? Is faith actually a command to God? When we pray knowing of a certainty that our prayers will be answered, are we “dictating to Deity”?
That’s what the above Comment-poster seems to be saying. All I said in my original blog was, turn Thanksgiving into a time when we thank God in advance for gifts in life — and the person posting the Comment when from that to…” it’s not for me to tell Him what to do.”
Hmmmm…
Another person posting as “Chris” asked an interesting question this morning…

November 28, 2008 8:15 AM
Hi Neale,
You’ve got me thinking again. How can a person be grateful for for an event that hasn’t happened yet? Are you implying supernatural protection of the “Wow, thanks for the new car, dad” type?
Obviously not, because you worldview doesn’t come across as that infantile. So it seems to me that what you are suggesting is a much more general gratitude that seems more akin to positive thinking. I wondered if you could say a bit more about this please, the mechanics of it.
Thanks,
Chris.

There are, of course, elements of “positive thinking” in this process of Advance Gratitude, but the process itself goes beyond that. The Process of Personal Creation is described in wonderful detail in the book Happier Than God. It involves using the tools of…
1. The Energy of Attraction, which gives you power.
2. The Law of Opposites, which gives you opportunity.
3. The Gift of Wisdom, which gives you discernment.
4. The Joy of Wonder, which gives you imagination.
and,
5. The Presence of Cycles, which gives you eternity.
So, yes, Chris, you are right. It is not quite as simple as, “Thanks, Dad, for the new car.” More on this in the weeks ahead…and also, a discussion of terrorists, and what causes them to be this.
In the meantime, did anybody see this? It happened this morning…
News reports say that a Wal-Mart worker was killed this morning after an “out of control” throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains broke down the doors at a suburban store and knocked him to the ground, according to police.
At least four other people, including a woman eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island was closed for several hours. It reopened shortly after 1 p.m.
The news reports said that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a “tragic situation” and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.
I feel so sad that a person’s life ended this way…and so puzzled that people would be so determined and feel so urgent about getting “bargains” that they would push right over a human being and accidentally kill him to get to them. My gosh…what is happening to us — ?