I love giving good gifts to my children. If they constantly nagged me for things, though, I would probably tire quickly of their demands. Constant demands quickly feel like unreasonable ones.

So why does God want us to keep asking him for things? Is it because he wants to be in control? No. God is already in control, and he doesn’t depend on us to make him feel needed.

No matter what we do or how we do it, we can’t coax, cajole, or wheedle God into responding to our prayers. But the good news is that we don’t need to do that.

God wants to answer us because he loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. When we pray, we acknowledge who God is and that we depend on him. And God supplies us with all that we need, all that he has promised.

So what should we pray for? We should pray for everything we need and, above all, we should ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit. Having the Spirit of God dwell in our hearts is the greatest gift that God gives to his children.

When you pray today, don’t grovel and beg before God. Approach him with thanksgiving and ask for what you need, and above all ask him for the presence, strength, and guidance of the Holy Spirit.