This past summer my youngest learned to play cards — War, Go Fish, Kings in the Corner, and Poker (minus the money pot). She’s even created a memory matching game with her deck.

Unfortunately, every game she knows requires a partner. She won’t have anything to do with Solitaire! In fact, if she had her way, she’d play games with us all day. On several occasions she begged me to play as I started to cook dinner.

“If you want to eat something other than a banana, I’ve got to cook,” I explain.

She whines. But she gets it. Sometimes she’ll even put down her cards and help.

It’s a valuable lesson little ones have to learn: you can’t have everything you ask for. Even if what you ask for seems good, it may not be the right timing. It may not be what’s best.

That’s good advice for us, too.

God is our ultimate parent. Scripture encourages us to ask Him for what we want.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Let your requests be made known to God.” Matthew 7:7 promises, “Ask and it will be given to you.” James 4:2 warns, “You have not because you ask not.”

Instead of fretting about circumstances alone, instead of laying our burdens on others, we can ask God for what we want. Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).

Unlike us, God is never too busy to give His children what they ask for. So if He appears to not be listening (and you aren’t clogging your communication by deliberately living in sin), keep praying, keep waiting, keep trusting. He hears you! He’s cooking up something good. Undoubtedly, it’s better than what you have planned!