Prayer Isn’t a Slot Machine, It’s a Garden!
Last time I showed you that the Bible teaches, Jesus taught, that God wants to answer our prayers, that God’s “Yes” to our prayers is guaranteed, that receiving a positive response from God is a sure thing. Here’s two, of the many scriptures, we looked at:
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Ask and it shall be given you… for everyone that asketh receiveth. Jesus is letting us know what God’s attitude towards prayer is and His attitude towards our prayers is “Yes! Of course. Certainly.”
Here's how I like to think about what Jesus is saying. We have a rule in the Marquez house about school fund raisers. You know, kids come buy selling chocolate bars or raffle tickets or barbecue dinners or pies, to raise money for the 4th grade field trip, or the soccer team or the cheer squad. Our rule is that we always say, “Yes,” to any kid who comes fund raising. I imagine that some kid talking to his fellow fund raisers could tell them, “Go by the Marquez house they always buy.” and that’s just the rule in the Marquez house. Jesus is telling us what the rule is in God’s house, “…everyone that asketh receiveth.”
I Want To Change Your Picture of Prayer
Naturally, the question follows : “Well…then why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” First off, that’s the wrong way to phrase the question because that form of the question already assumes the answer. That question assumes answered prayer is totally God’s responsibility. The right way to ask the question is, “Well…then why don’t I receive what I ask for when I pray?” Assuming Jesus isn't lying when he says, "Everyone that asketh receiveth…" the only rational conclusion is that we must have a part to play in receiving the answer.
You see, most people think about prayer as a kind of a slot machine. You know, you put in a coin, pull the handle and wait to see what happens. Almost no effort is required on your part, the outcome is totally unpredictable, and you are in no way responsible for the results. If your prayer isn’t answered you just put in another coin, and another coin and another and another hoping that someday, maybe, you'll hit the jackpot. When your prayer isn't answered there's nothing much you can do about it, but shrug your shoulders and move on. That’s how most people think about prayer.
But prayer is more like a garden. God invented gardens, man invented slot machines. Unlike a slot machine, in a garden the outcome is predictable, results require effort on our part, and we are responsible for what we get. We'd all recogonize how silly it would be to ask, "Why won't God give me a beautiful garden?" We don’t blame God if we don't have a beautiful garden. We understand that the right question is, "Why don't I have a beautiful garden?" Just asking that question brings several possible answers immediately to mind, none of which have anything to do with the God's will. We understand that even if it was God's express will that we have a beautiful garden there would still be things we we would have to do, conditions we would have to mee, to receive a beautiful garden. That's how I want you to think about prayer. I’ve already shown you that God wants to answer your prayers, He wants them answered more than you want them answered, but there are things we must do, there are conditions we must meet, we have a part to play.
I want to change your picture of prayer so that when you ask the question, "Why didn't I receive what I asked for when I prayed?" instead of laying all the responsiblity off on God you'll beging examinig your prayer garden to see what you need to do differently, what you need to change, so that you can receive the guaranteed results.
Let me show you some of the conditions, some of the things we must do.
Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Jesus clearly tells us we will receive, i.e. it is certain we will get what we pray for, but there is a condition. “…believing, ye shall receive.” Now, I’m convinced that most people have no idea what it means to believe and we’ll deal with that later. Right now all I want you to see is that "believing" is a requirement for shall receiving.
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
We can ask what we will, whatever we want, and “…it shall be done…”, but there’s a qualification. There’s something we must do, there's an “If…” We have to abide in him and have his words abiding in us. I think it’s safe to say that if you don’t know his words, if you can’t quote very many of his sayings, then his words are not abiding in you. I’m pretty sure that if you’re lying and cheating and stealing you’re not abiding in him. If you’re failing to walk in love and forgiveness you’re probably not abiding in Jesus.
John 16:23 … Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
“Whatsover ye shall ask the father…he will give it you,” but we must ask in Jesus name. We must come before the father not just uttering the name of Jesus, but representing Jesus. The name of Jesus isn’t just a magical word we invoke. Asking in Jesus name means we are asking under his authority, with his permission, as his representatives. To ask in Jesus name means to know what Jesus would ask, and we can only do that when we’ve spent some time with him.
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Let him ask of God, who gives to all, who gives not stingily but generously, who doesn’t chew you out for asking, and “…it shall be given him.” But the very next word in the Bible is “But.” A condition must be met. Even though God gives to all, gives to all generously and doesn’t rebuke them for asking, the asker still has a part to play.
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
It’s really two conditions. "Let him ask in faith," we must ask expecting the answer to be "Yes!" and "nothing wavering," we must continue in faith, we must hold on to our faith. The one who fails to meet these conditions can’t expect to receive anything of the Lord.
1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him…” Most people read the condition of answered prayer here as being “…because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” But the better way to read it, the way that fits with everything else the Bible says about prayer, is that having confidence toward God is the condition to answered prayer, or as Matthew puts it, “…believing ye shall receive.” So the passage should probably be read this way:
1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, (because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight,) then have we confidence toward God. 22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him,
It’s hard to have faith, i.e. confidence when our heart is condemning us. If we’re not keeping his commandments (Particularly the commandment of love as the next verse makes clear.), and doing those things that are pleasing in his sight, then our heart, i.e. our conscience will be condemning us. That’s why it’s so important to learn to walk in love, to learn to walk in forgiveness, to learn to not hold a grudge, to learn to walk in the spirit, because if we can’t learn to do that, our heart will condemn us, we won’t have confidence toward God and our prayers won’t be answered.
You can see that the Bible repeatedly guarantees we will receive whatever we ask of God in prayer. Again and again it says God’s “Yes,” to our prayers is a certainty. At the same time it clearly sets out conditions we must meet so that God’s “Yes,” can produce the thing in our life. Jesus taught, the Bible teaches, that even after God has said “Yes,” there are things we must do in order for the thing we asked for to appear.
So imagine I pray for a job. According to Jesus, what will God’s answer be?
“Ask and it shall be given you…for everyone that asketh receiveth.”
Does that mean that my job will automatically appear? No, even though God has said “Yes,” to my prayer I still have a part to play…
“…believing ye shall receive.”
or as James puts it:
“But let him ask in faith nothing waivering…”
If I do my part I will receive, if I don’t do my part I won’t receive. Now, later on we’ll discuss what this, "asking in faith nothing wavering," means and how to do it, but for right now all I want you to see is that God can say “Yes,” to your prayer and you still not receive a thing. God could grant your request and you could still fail to receive what you asked for.
Now pretend for a minute that everything I have said above is correct, can you see how it clashes with the generally accepted picture of prayer? Can you see how believing that it all depends on God actually keeps you from doing your part, and thus guarantees that you will not receive? Can you see how some, not understanding what Jesus taught about prayer, might conclude that God denied their request, even though God said “Yes,” the moment the words left their mouth? Can you see that having confidence that God will say "Yes" is one of the conditions of answered prayer? Can you see how what most Christians have been told about prayer keeps them from having the confidence in God's "Yes," that is a requirement for receiving what they've asked for? Most Christians have been taught about prayer in such a way that, as Charles Finney said, "Their prayers were just such as God had promised not to answer."
God wants to answer your prayers. Jesus guarantees God’s “Yes!” But God gives us the answer in seed form, we have to plant that seed, water it and cultivate it until the thing we asked for shows up. Next time I want to begin showing you how to do that.
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