The vending machine accepted five-dollar bills, so I fed a crisp Lincoln into the slot and pressed the button corresponding with the caffeinated beverage of choice. The change descended loudly.


Quickly applying some mental math, I calculated that the vending machine had returned only $1.50 in change. I plunged my fingers into the coin return cup and planned to voice a complaint to the front desk as soon as I retrieved those
six quarters.


Then I looked at the coins in my palm: three Susan B. Anthony dollars, and three quarters. My anger turned to embarrassment. The change I received wasn’t what I anticipated, but it was correct.


God’s answers to our prayers rarely look the way we think they should. We conceive in our own minds just how we believe things ought to go. We grow anxious when the job opportunity fails or when the loved one does not heal or when the rebellious child does not come home. Nonetheless, God’s answers are exactly what we need, given to us in the perfect amount.