Editorial September 15, 1986 Issue

Fitness to receive the good we are asking for

ALLISON W. PHINNEY, JR.

Certainly the problem isn't that there is not enough good. More good than we have ever conceived of is at hand, because God is real. He exists, and He is good. Our need is really to find the way to open our eyes more fully to this infinite and present good.

The Psalmist shares with us that reassuring sense of God's presence. "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!" he writes, "therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures."^{ Ps. 36:7, 8.}

We can see it is misguided prayer that would ask God to create more good or send some good to us that we think might be missing. He is already expressing more than we have accepted. Our prayer needs to be in a different direction. We need to pray to recognize what is already there. Perhaps we skim over too quickly what might actually be considered the summary line in Christ Jesus' parable of the prodigal son. We could apply this line to both sons in the story, and to all God's sons and daughters: "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."^{ Luke 15:31.}

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