In the book of Judges, we hear this story about the Israelites, and as they entered the Promised Land, they begged Samuel to give them an earthly King. They were suppose to be a light to the nations, and to be different because God is suppose to be their King. Still, they begged and begged the prophet Samuel to grant their request.

The Parable of the workers in the Vineyard...those who worked longer hours disagreed with the owner's decision to pay everyone the same. They thought that they should be paid more because they worked longer hours. They don't like the generosity of the owner.

Sometimes, we may not agree with God's decisions, and sometimes we may think that we know what is best. We may think that we know better than God. In our relationship with God, when we approach prayer, we may even tell God what to do: “Lord, please make do this. Lord, please do that. Lord, please make this happen.”

Although it's not wrong to make known our requests to God, but it's also good to reflect upon our relationship with God. Questions that are helpful are: “What is at the heart of my prayer? Do I believe in God's perfect love and perfect judgment? Am I open to God's will? Do I believe that it may be part of God's plan?

So many of our situations that we experience may not be a part of God's will. They may be consequences of sin, sickness, disobedience or bad judgment. But we can trust that God is always with us. And God always knows what is best for us.

When we believe that God has authority over our circumstances, he reigns as our king. Instead of trying to tell God what to do, thinking that we know better than God, let us try asking God to show us what God is doing. Let God show us how to be a part of his plan for our lives, and let God reign in our lives. Let God be the owner whose mercy we may not agree with. Let God be our King.