Copyright © 2006 by The Voice of Prophecy

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One of the first things you need to learn when you travel to other countries is the art of bargaining. We're used to shopping where things have a “fixed price.” But in other parts of the world, the price you pay for most things depends on how good you are at bargaining.

Here's a quick example of what I mean by bargaining:

Let's say I see a hand-painted vase. I find the shop keeper and ask how much it costs. The shop keeper first comments on what a great choice I made and then tells me that the price is only $25. Now, back home in my neighborhood department store, I would probably say, "OK" and hand the man my credit card.

But in a country where bargaining is a way of life, I am now expected to shout, "$25? That’s too much! I’ll give you $8 dollars." To which the shop keeper replies, “Eight dollar? For this beautiful work of art? You’ve got to be kidding!” And then with a smile he says confidentially, “But just for you I will make a special price, $18."

Well, after haggling back and forth for several more minutes, I happily buy the vase for $14. And the shop keeper is happy, too, because he knew all along it wasn't worth more than $10. What a game!

The object of bargaining is for the shop keeper to sell as many souvenirs as he can for as much as he can, and for the tourist to buy souvenirs for as little as he can. This way, everybody wins. It’s like the old saying, I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine. But, watch out--I'm going to try to take as much as I can while giving back as little as possible.

What does bargaining have to do with prayer? A lot! Think about it for a minute. Is it possible that, when we pray, we try to make deals with God--sort of negotiate an answer that's to our liking? I suspect that many of our prayers contain elements of bargaining, negotiating, coaxing, or even threatening.

For instance, if you're like me, somewhere along the line in your prayer life you may have prayed a prayer that sounded like this: “God, if You will get me out of this mess, I promise I'll go to church every week.” We may not like to admit that we bargain with God, but if we would only listen to ourselves once in a while, we might be surprised.

Maybe you're wondering, What's wrong with making promises to God? I remember reading several stories in the Bible about people who made promises, and God did special things for them. This is true, there are such stories. One that quickly comes to my mind is the story of Hannah. Her husband, Elkanah, had another wife, and with this wife he had several children. But Hannah didn't have any children, and the other wife wouldn’t let her forget it. She would taunt and tease Hannah unmercifully. One year Hannah felt she couldn't put up with the snide comments any more, so she went to the temple to pray. While she was there praying and weeping her heart out, she promised God that if He would give her a son, she would dedicate him to serve the Lord all his life. And, sure enough, within a year she had a baby boy, who she named Samuel.

Even though some people think that “promises are made to be broken,” there's nothing wrong with making promises to God.

The question we should ask ourselves, though, is this: Once we've made Jesus our Lord and Friend, should we feel we have to resort to making promises or bargains in order for Him to answer our prayers?

Think about the people in your life who mean the most to you. When you ask them for a favor, you don’t need to hint, coax, charm, wheedle, bargain, negotiate, or even make promises, do you? The best way to get something from someone you love, and who loves you, is simply to ask.

Asking is one of the most intimate and trusting means of communication, because it gives freedom to the one being asked. They are free to accept, to decline, to add to, or to take away from our request. Asking shows we have respect and faith in the person we’re asking.

Asking for a favor can be risky, however, for the one doing the asking. It’s risky because it gives our choice away. It lets go of control. Asking means I’m allowing the other person to choose their response. If I get right to the point and just ask for something, I must be willing to accept either Yes or No as an answer.

Even though we know God could say either Yes or No to our requests, we don’t need to be worried that His answer will be based on what we promise Him. Some of us don’t have much to offer. Rather, the conditions for answered prayer are based on our relationship with God--that is, our loyalty, friendship, and obedience to Him.

I’m going to read two short verses of Scripture. As you listen, notice a special word that each of the verses has in common:

The first Scripture is Ephesians 3:20: “To him who by means of his power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for, or even think of" (TEV).

The second Scripture is 1 John 5:14, 15: “We have courage in God's presence, because we are sure that he hears us if we ask him for anything that is according to his will, he hears us whenever we ask him; and since we know this is true, we know also that he gives us what we ask from him” (TEV).

Did you hear the common word? Of course, it is the word ask.
When you come to God in prayer, He wants you to simply tell Him your heartfelt needs. Asking as defined in the Scripture I just read is not checking God out or testing the water. Neither is it the equivalent of buying a lottery ticket with the hope that just maybe you’ll win this time.

Maybe you believe that if you pull out all the stops in prayer, God will most surely say Yes. Have you ever prayed about something without getting an answer, then thought, Well, if I'd just agonized with the Lord a bit more, maybe He'd have heard me?

Now, there are things we ought to agonize over--no doubt about that. But will agonizing and beating our breasts force God's hand--make Him say Yes when He wanted to say No? I don't think so. He loves us, after all. He doesn't need His arm twisted to get Him to do what's best for us.

I like the verse in Matthew 7:11 that says: “As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (TEV)?

When I looked up the word prayer in the dictionary, I found that the root comes from the Latin word precarius. We use the word precarious when something is . . . well, when something is precarious, in the sense that it could go either way. Precarious means being dependent on circumstances beyond our control or on the will or pleasure of someone else.

Knowing that the word prayer means precarious, helps us better understand the deeper meaning of the act of prayer. Prayer is a precarious activity, isn’t it, because it means that we are giving the freedom of choice to God. In other words we’re surrendering our will to Him. I am so thankful that God is someone we can love and trust.

Because prayer is so precarious, it’s easy to understand why we get into the habit of bargaining, negotiating, manipulating, or trying to get God to sign on the dotted line. In the workaday world it’s a jungle out there, and the rule is the survival of the fittest. We bargain because we want to be able to control the outcome.

Prayer from the heart doesn’t need to be complicated or contrived. We don’t need to persuade the God of love to be loving. We don’t need to try to convince Him to give us what we need. I can't imagine wanting something better for my life than my Heavenly Father already knows I need.

Once when Jesus was talking with a group of proud men and women who were arguing about who was the most important, He reached over into the crowd and drew a child to Himself and turned him around so everyone could see him. Then He told the grownups that unless they humbled themselves and became as little children, they would never experience the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3 NKJV). When little children need something, they don’t argue about who’s more important and who’s richer. They simply ask mommy and daddy for it.

Well, how about it? Have you been trying to cut a deal with God? If so, remember: He wants you to just ask! You don’t need to bargain or to be timid. Hebrews 4:16 gives you the invitation. It says,” Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV). Yes, God asks you to come to Him boldly, without fear or embarrassment. And like the good Father that He is, He will bend down to hear your prayer and will do more for you than you could even dream of. What a wonderful God!

Tomorrow’s topic will be, “Is Prayer a Waste of Time?” If God already knows what's best for us, then why should we have to ask? We’d love to have you join us. Until then, this is Lonnie Melashenko reminding you that it’s always true, God loves you.