What it's ok to pray for

As some of you know, one of my essays was published last summer in The Rambler, a neat little magazine from North Carolina. That essay did pretty well for itself. In addition to publication, I received a little money and a one-year subscription to the magazine. It's a very good little magazine, and I look forward to it coming every other month. I might just have to write something else so that I can keep up my subscription.

In the September/October issue, which for some reason sat on my bedside table for months, utterly forgotten, the feature is an interview with Lewis "Buddy" Nordan, who wrote a bunch of novels I haven't read--but might look into, now. He's not a "Christian" writer, in that he's writing mainstream novels, not "inspirational" fiction. Anyway, the article describes one thing "he always does when he sits down to write: he will pray to God to make him a great writer. He jokes that he used to pray to God to make him a good writer, but upgraded to asking to be a great one."

That really got me thinking. I've often prayed for inspiration (like when I had to sum up my church in 1000 words or so for the local news paper!), and I've prayed thankfully--that I have any gift with words at all.

I haven't prayed to be a great writer, though. Praying for gift on top of gift--as if what I've been given isn't enough--seems audacious. Isn't it enough to be thankful that I'm an above-average writer? Yet, when I read that, it made total sense to me. Yes, I want to be a great writer. Yes, I should ask God for all my desires--because what I'm doing now, relying soley on my own skills and determination, is not working fast or well. Plus, it's a lot of work!

Does God mind when we pray for greater gifts? Maybe He likes it.