Hey Dad, Let's Talk 2| Genie in a Bottle |
 Two of the most detrimental things a Christian can do is either, 1) develop a why-bother attitude about prayer, thinking God will just do whatever He wants anyway, or 2) treat God as some kind of Genie in a bottle to be approached only when we want something from Him. ... Now it is true that for whatever the exact reason may be, (His ways are not our ways!) God has decided from before the creation of the world that the course history was going to take was going to be a direct result of our prayers. That's the truth of the matter. God considers each and every request we make and decides yes or no based on our ultimate good and the ultimate good of others. There's an old quote that goes, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of." So, we must never cease to pray, for if we do, God will cease to work in our lives. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be in such a precarious position of floating adrift. But when we pray, we must do so with reverence, examining our hearts for selfish motives and unrepentant sin. James 4:2b-3 says, "You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." We also needn't be obsessive about using big words, eloquent words, "magical" words, or incantations as if praying were some kind of witchcraft. Just be yourself when you pray. God knows your heart. Romans 8:26 says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." Knowing this helps me relax when I pray. Not all of us have been blessed with the gift of poetic expression. Keep in mind what Jesus said: "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." (Matthew 6:7) That being said, the Bible is thankfully full of balance so that we don't go from one extreme to the other. So, there's the parable of the persistent widow to remind us not to be flippant or half-hearted or impatient when we pray (see Luke 18). Sometimes we do have to pray about a certain thing over and over again for many years before we see any visible change come about. It's not because we didn't have enough faith the first time we prayed but because God's timing is perfect and we often try to jump the gun on Him. Remember what happened when Abraham took matters into his own hands? Instead of waiting patiently for the son God had promised him, he slept with his servant Hagar and had an illegitimate son, Ishmael. To this day, the Arabs and Jews continue to war against one another; it's an ancient fued. It just goes to show that when you're trusting God for a promise, don't take matters into your own hands or you might live to regret it. And who knows how many future generations to come will be affected by your impatience as well. Think of the current war in Israel: Abraham never would've guessed that his "private" sin some 4,000 years ago would still be causing so much suffering and bloodshed today. No one sins in a vacuum. God doesn't want to serve as some kind of Genie in the bottle, He wants to have a genuine relationship with us. Waiting patiently for a miracle over a long period of time teaches perseverance and develops character. It also teaches us to be faithful even when we don't know what God's will is. We learn to trust Him. Praying fervently also unburdens us; takes the weight off our shoulders. When I feel stressed, anxious and bogged down, praying about what's troubling me is a great outlet. It helps me sort my thoughts and I feel peace in knowing that I've talked to God about it, put it in His hands, and that He'll guide me each day along the right path no matter how uncertain that pathway may be. He is in control. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6) What about unrepentant sin? Psalm 66:18 says, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." Acknowledged yet unrepentant sin in our lives is the one thing that can hinder our prayers. But if there's no unrepentant sin in our lives, we can have confidence before God when we pray. Examine your heart. Don't wait another day to turn back to the Lord. Jesus taught His disciples: " 'This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' " (Matthew 6:9-13)
ADDITIONAL ARTICLES: Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed Though He Slay Me, Yet Will I Trust Him
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