God is *NOT* Your Magic Genie!

Okay folks, I know this particular blog is gonna ruffle a bunch of feathers! So, what on earth am I referring to? It is one of several scriptures in the four gospels, isolated by people for a particular stance on scripture - Name it, claim it!

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

Do I believe what that scripture says? Yes, of course I do. And I have prayed in earnest and have had many prayers answered by believing and receiving. But how many times have you prayed for something, and the desired result that you prayed for didn't happen? Well, why not?

Some people tend to think that particular scripture gives them 'carte blanche' to ask anything of God and instantaneously POOF! God will magically make it appear...after all, that scripture does say, "...whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours..."

And more often than not, if we were honest, the prayer(s) we prayed were something for ourselves! I don't believe that God is to be treated or viewed as a magic genie just to suit our wants and desires.

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. 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." James 4: 1-3

Shouldn't we model ourselves after Jesus? Do what He did? Say what He said? Believe what He believed? Live like He lived? Be about His Father's business like He was?

Where in the scriptures do we see that Jesus used the power of prayer or the power of the spoken word to benefit Himself? He always used His miracles of healing, food distribution, calming of storms, and driving out of demons to aid others....in their belief, and from out of their misery...but not to make His own life more cushy. Jesus Himself who had all power under the sun which given to Him by the Father, did not treat His abilities or powers as frivolous entities to be used in a hocus pocus manner for selfish or self serving reasons.

After all, think about it: He could have taken Himself down off the cross, He could have not allowed Himself to be whipped or even placed on the cross in the first place for that matter! He could have even answered Pilate's probbing questions. But He was not self serving. What He was doing was following the plans and the will of God!!

The only time that I can think of when Jesus prayed to the Father concerning himself was when he was asking if the cup (regarding the crucifixion) could be removed from him.

"My Father if it is possible, may this cup to be taken away from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Matthew 36:39

And again He prayed:

"My Father if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." Matthew 36:42

The scriptures say He left the disciples and went away once more to pray a third time asking the same thing.

But there are three important points there that a lot of us miss...

First, He stated if it were not possible for what He was asking for, that the Father's WILL BE DONE!

Secondly, He was persistent! He asked God in faith three times knowing that He would recieve an answer: Jesus asked God three times to remove this cup from Him.

And third, He was submissive to the Father's will for His life! Obviously God's answer was that this was the plan for His life, and that He had to go through with it...and He did.

When we pray, how often do we ask that 'His will be done'? How many times do we ask in faith before we give up?

Consider this:

"Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. " Daniel 10:12, 13

This messenger of God was sent to deliever an answer to Daniel. but he was detained for 21 days!! So it seems that sometimes prayers are answered but they are detained...the answers not recieved instantaneously as we'd like. This scripture alone shows that you need faith to get answers to prayer. Daniel continued to pray and fast, until God's messenger finally arrived. Don't give up! But it still does not say "name it and claim it!"

And these scriptures:

"Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him." I John 3:21, 22

"I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. " Habakkuk 2:2,3

Wow. The first time I read that exchange between Habakkuk and God I was blown away!

How often do we submit to His will versus what we prayed for?

"Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!" Hebrews 12:9

The Word tells it like it is, huh? But then what do you think about this scripture:

"Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?" Lamentations 3:37, 38

Uh, oh! I know I am in trouble with some of you with that one...but that scripture IS in the bible isn't it? What? Should we just toss it aside as if it does not exist? So does that mean that you can pray, but if it is not something that the Lord has decreed that your prayer is in vain?

So what about this verse:

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

So what about the calamities? Are they too from God or not? Are they too a part of His perfect plan and will? Where are my bible scholars out there? Help a sista out!

When we read Abraham's account in Genesis where Abraham is asking God if he could find 50, then 45, then 40, then 30, then 20 and then finally only 10 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah if God would spare the city. This shows us that it is okay to ask God for different things, but we have to understand that God's answers come from God's perspective.

God's answers are not always in harmony with our expectations, because only He knows the WHOLE story. But maybe sometimes we miss answers to some prayers because we haven't considered any possible answers other than the one that we expect. Hmmm....

The Word says:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8, 9

And what about this verse:

"In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will." Ephesians 1:11

Heh, heh. What now? If everything is predestined, does your prayer really matter? Or is was it already considered before you prayed it, and included in the master plan?

Here is my position on asking:

"But seek first the his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalms 37:4

And we can't forget this verse:

"And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

To me this verse brings to mind the theory of predestination. You may ask: Does my prayer really matter? Should I pray? To my thinking, prayer is an indication of my submission to God, my dependence on Him, and allowing His will to be primary in my life. It is our form of communication, by which creates intimacy in my relationship with Him. I feel it is important for these reasons to have an active prayer life with God, whether or not we understand all of the ins and outs of prayer.

"For from Him and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen." Romans 11:36

Writing this particular blog lets me know that I have alot more to learn about prayer, asking, being in His perfect will, knowing God's perfect will for my life, and understanding more about God's way of thinking. But according to Isaiah 55: 9 and 10 the last part of that statement may be an impossibility while here on earth. One thing that I know for sure....God is not to be mocked. He is not a magic genie for our whims.

Just think, we've talked about different views of prayer, but we haven't even looked at fasting in conjunction with prayer yet!! Whew, this gives us lots to think about, and learn about huh?

One final scripture for you my friends:

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Phillipians 4:19, 20

\0/ Be Blessed!