NBA Player Ditches ‘Vending Machine’ Faith to Embrace God’s Plan

Published: April 15, 2026

By Mallory Mattingly

Before Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Miller got serious about his walk with Christ, he often used God as a “vending machine.”

“In my earlier years, I’ll admit it, I was almost using God as like a vending machine, right? Praying and asking,” the athlete said on “The Walk” podcast. “But now, with the knowledge that I have, every time I pray, and if I’m asking for something, I always include, ‘And if this is not your way, give me the wisdom to understand what your way is.'”

“So now I’m more open and receptive to knowing, like, I would love this, and I know you could do anything, but this may not be your plan for me. So give me the knowledge to know. Maybe this is why you don’t want me to do this,” he added.

Miller then recited one of his favorite verses, Proverbs 3:5, which reminds him that he needs to lean on the God’s wisdom over his.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,” the verse reads.

“That second part is so huge. Just lean not into your own understanding and knowing that you may not understand everything, but that’s okay. We have a good God whom we praise and we love, and He always wants what’s best for us,” Miller emphasized.

In the same podcast, the guard opened up about how, before really trusting God, he experienced immense pressure every time he stepped on the court.

“I was so tired of the pressure that I put on myself to play well every night, where I’m going to end up being, and honestly, anxiety before games,” he said. “You know, like a lot of people know that I was on this huge roller coaster. If I’m playing well, I’m feeling great. If I’m playing badly, what’s going on? And so that tiredness feeling, knowing that I can’t do this myself, like I’ve been trying to do it myself, and it’s clearly not working.”

However, he leaned on what his mom always taught him growing up: God needs to be his foundation.

“I was able to fall back on the word of God to get me to a place to know that regardless of what happens, I’m not playing basketball to reap the benefits from what the game will give me or make X amount of money or to just be glorified in a basketball image,” he said. “I’m on this earth to glorify God and and live the way He want intended us to live.”

Miller’s faith shows just how transformative trusting God is.

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