I was looking at my Amazon account recently to reorder something and got sidetracked by the log of all the purchases we’ve made over the years. It impressed me to see how using the online resource is as easy as whispering a prayer.
When we started using the site almost 15 years ago, we were mostly buying books or music for ourselves, or giving gift cards for others to do the same. And we’d use it just a few times a year; some years we didn’t use it at all.
In contrast, this year we’ve shopped the site almost 40 times and we’re not even in the Christmas shopping season yet. What’s more, we no longer use it just for entertainment or gifts. Much of what we use it for is the mundane needs of life: medical/dietary supplements, lawn mower parts, buttons, smoke detectors, pants, computer adaptors, toilet flush handle, electric razor heads, vacuum cleaner filters, contact lens cleaner, garden hose adapter, LED music stand lights.
This time, my need was a refill jug of a particular brand of soap scum remover that’s safe to use on the marble floor of our shower. I used to get it at one of the big box hardware stores but they quit carrying it. When I discovered that earlier this year after asking a store employee to see if he could find it, I had a sudden burst of genius: I stopped in the aisle, pulled out my iPhone and ordered it right then and there.
That happens to me more and more. I’ll go to several places looking for something and when I can’t find it, I pull out my phone, search for it and press the “Buy Now” button. Sometimes I’m ordering from the retailer I’m in, sometimes the manufacturer, or a distributor like Amazon. When I walk through the checkout area toward the exit and a clerk asks, “Did you find what you needed?” I can answer with all honesty, “Yes, I did.” I don’t have it in my hand, but it’ll usually be on my porch within a week and sometimes the next day.
It reminds me of my prayer life. I used to think prayer was just for special things, big things, important things: a family health issue, a clear head during finals, a calm and confident demeanor for a job interview. But over time, I’ve found I use it more and more and for everyday occasions and everyday needs. And instead of waiting to find a quiet place to pray, I do it in the middle of the chaos of life.
I’ve also learned that while the answer to a prayer might come immediately, it usually comes sometime later — often much later — and it won’t always be what I expect or want. But it will come. God always delivers the goods.