Have you ever eaten so frequently at a restaurant that you were willing to ignore the menu and tell the server, “I’ll have whatever the chef is preparing”? You’re a “regular” and you’ve gotten to know the kitchen staff over time. You trust that whatever they prepare will be excellent! Sometimes you get a familiar house favorite, and other times it’s something unique (you would have never ordered it on your own) but you always enjoy it and appreciate being introduced to the new flavors.
Have you ever experienced something like that? It’s pretty rare.
More than likely, you eat at restaurants where you feel the need to specify exactly what you want and how you want it prepared. My most recent order at a fast food counter went like this: “single with cheese, no onions or pickles, and easy on the mustard …” 
And during a recent lunch with a friend at an unfamiliar Mexican restaurant, I found myself pointing to the pictures on the menu, describing in great detail how I wanted my dish prepared, and even specifying where on the plate I wanted the rice and pico de gallo!
Most of my life, prayer has been something like this. I approach God as though I were pulling up to a divine drive-thru window or speaking to a celestial waiter. I have picked out what I want and I place my order. And I often speak to God with such directness and specificity that I wonder if there’s any trust at all.
Jesus taught us to bring our requests to God and he even seemed impressed by childlike appeals. Martin Luther’s first instruction on prayer was to “open wide our aprons” and boldly ask what we want to receive from our Father. But lately, I find myself wanting to be more like the “regular” in a familiar restaurant than the one who insecurely lists out everything — the what and the how.
What if I set aside my “menu” and simply asked for whatever he was preparing? There would be times that I would be served exactly what I had come in thinking about and craving! Other times, it would be something different, a “unique” answer to my hunger pangs. But because I’ve learned to trust the Chef and know that everything that comes from him is good, I would dig in, exploring the new flavors on the plate!
This approach to prayer will involve more trust than I normally extend. But it also promises more adventure and suspense!
I won’t know what’s coming in advance.
I’ll be at the mercy of the Host.
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