January 10, 2004

People often pray, "God if you do this for me I’ll do this for you."  Or "If you do this, I’ll stop doing this.  If you do this for me, I’ll stop smoking, I’ll start going to church, I’ll start paying my tithes, I’ll go on a diet, I’ll quit drinking" etc.

These may seem to be good prayers at the time but we have no Word-basis for these kinds of prayers.  The problem with these kinds of prayers is:

1. Attitude: We’re calling the shots.  We’re telling God how it’s going to go.  We’re making God servant to us.  We’re in charge and we’re setting up the conditions of our situation and our life.  This doesn’t work, first of all because God won’t be made a servant to any man.  And secondly because He has already called the shots.  He has already set things up and He’s not going to change His principles or His Word.  There are certain laws that have been established and although God can do a miracle and bypass these laws if He so desires, we are not in control of when He does that.  It’s like saying, "If I let go of this ball and it falls up instead of down then I’ll do such and such for God."  Why do we try and make deals instead of finding out how to do things God’s way?  Many times it’s because we don’t want to take responsibility and we want to throw the ball in God’s court so to speak and then we can blame it on Him when He doesn’t come through the way we’ve said.  This is an attitude problem.  It’s rebellion against God’s way of doing things.  It’s pride in thinking that we are able to set up deals like that with God.  God is moved by His Word.  He’s moved by faith in His Word.  That’s how He operates.  We need to submit to that.  We need to accept that if we’re going to have any kind of relationship with God at all.  It’s His way—not our way.  He’s God—we’re not.  And even though this may be an attitude problem it often has its roots in point number two:
    
2. Ignorance: Many times what we are trying to bargain for and get God to do He has already done.  "God if you heal my baby I promise I’ll start going to church."  "God if I get a better job I’ll start paying my tithes."  Of "If you take away my desire for nicotine I’ll quit smoking."  When God has already provided for our healing, our prosperity and our deliverance.  He has already done everything that is necessary for us to live in victory in these areas and now the ball is in our court.  He has already presented ‘a deal’ to us.  And because we are ignorant of His offer we are trying to bargain and make all these other offers.

2 Peter 1:2-4 says, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

God has given us such awesome promises.  In fact He’s given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.  All things that pertain to life...  He’s already given us these things but it’s through the knowledge of Him and of the Lord Jesus Christ that we learn to partake of these promises.  Instead of bargaining with God, if we would take all that effort and energy and use it to study His Word and learn of Him and His ways we would have much more success in our prayers.  We would learn to live in His promises, saving ourselves and our loved ones a lot of heartache.