Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 John 5:14
How grand would it be to have a genie in a bottle? Think about being able to hide your genie’s bottle until you desire something from him. Once a desire arises, you just pull out the bottle, rub it, wait for the genie to pop out, make your demands known, and the genie MUST fulfill your wishes. What would your request be? How often do you suppose you might pull out the trusty old genie’s bottle to satisfy your wants and wishes? You may be wondering why we are talking about a mythological bunch of nonsense like genies in bottles, but there is a spiritual application I wish to make with this.
So many people treat God like He is their personal genie, expected to keep quiet and out of sight until they need something from Him. Many worldly people never give a second thought to God until something goes wrong. A man hasn’t worshiped or served God in any way for fifty years, but the minute he finds out he or a loved one has an illness or some other hardship, he begins praying and seeking the prayers of others. Would the person treating God this way be compelled to act in favor of a person who treated him/her the same way? Perhaps you know that person who never calls or comes around until a need arises. Aren’t you just ecstatic to see him/her coming to take advantage of your benevolent nature? The same is true of God, and He leaves no question how He regards the prayers of these godless people (Job 27:8-9; Psalms 34:15-17; Proverbs 15:29; Jeremiah 11:9-11; Micah 3:4; 1 Peter 3:10-12).
We may think we would never treat God so. However, we have probably been guilty of this at some point. How, you may be wondering. We do this by praying in ways which are not in keeping with God’s plan and purpose. First, consider how often God desires to hear our prayers. In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus introduces us to a persistent widow who was relentless in her pursuit of justice from her adversary. The judge is described as one who “…did not fear God nor regard man” (vs. 2). Obviously, moving him to action was no easy task, but she was so persistent that he finally gave in. The implication concerning God is, if this unjust judge was moved to action by her persistence, God will be much more inclined to help His own. Jesus’ purpose in the parable is that “…men always ought to pray…” (vs. 1). Paul says, “Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). How often do we pray when we need nothing?
Not only does God demand frequent prayers, He also demands properly intended prayers. We need to keep two elements in mind with our prayers: 1) our prayers should reflect gratitude to God, and 2) our prayers must desire God’s will in all things. Woven into the teachings on prayer is the central thrust of giving thanks and extolling God (Matthew 6:9; Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; 1 Timothy 2:1). The next time you pray, take inventory of the frequency of thanksgivings compared to requests. Consider very carefully the true motivation of every petition. After Jesus extolled God’s virtues, He immediately turned the prayer to seeking God’s kingdom (reign) and will on the earth (Matthew 6:10). After a single material petition, daily bread, He turned to the desire that God’s will be done in the life of the individual (Matthew 6:12-15). Jesus desired God’s will be done more than He desired to be spared the agony of death (Matthew 26:39, 42). It is okay to pray for physical well-being (cf. 3 John 2), but we must make God’s glorification in our lives the central purpose of all our petitions. Let us be certain we treat God like our Lord not our personal genie.