Is prayer a shopping list?

from w
Sometimes it seems that prayer and focus on things close to your heart becomes a kind of shopping list when addressed to God. A friend in Melbourne declared that God looks after his electricity bill. An email from Fiji was in a similar vein, that we ask God to supply our financial needs. I wonder about that. And to pass an important exam. My view is that God gives us arms and legs and a head and we have to do our bit!
Anyway, here's a photo taken (rather cheekily I think) at St Francis church in Melbourne where the racing fraternity met to pray for such things as the outcome of the Melbourne Cup. Bart Cummings of course is the millionaire gentleman whose horses often win. This time his three were expected to do very well, but the Melbourne Cup is not about the 'best' or 'favourite' horses but about opportunities to get through the pack. So surprise, surprise, a horse called 'Shocking' won and surprised the boots off the punters. At least it wasn't 'Kickamoocow' who was in a race some time ago. I think horses are magnificent creatures but I think the shemozzle about gambling on them racing is not my scene at all.