"My God, my genie, why have you forsaken me?" by Cam Stuart

I was having one of those wonderful father moments chatting with my son at bed time when I asked him if there was anything that he would like to pray about. His answer startled me in its raw honesty. He asked, “Why should I pray when God never answers my prayers?” This comment brought to mind many faces of others who have expressed similar disappointment. 

When people talk to me about disappointment in their prayer lives, I might ask them to also describe the God to whom they pray. Over the last few years as I have listened to people praying and to their disappointment in prayer, I have come to wonder if they need to rethink their theology concerning the god to whom they pray. Is the God to whom they are praying in fact the God that has revealed himself in Scripture? Just because someone says they pray to god does not necessarily mean they are praying to the God of Scripture. 

 

My growing sense is that the God of the scriptures has been reduced to a genie in a bottle. You will recall the story of Aladdin and the Lamp. Aladdin was a poor street kid who found a lamp. When he polished the lamp, out came a genie who offered the owner of the lamp three wishes—any wish (prayer) his heart desired—except that the genie could not make someone fall in love with the owner of the lamp. The connection is obvious. There seems to be a growing number of Christians who perceive God in this way: a genie who, when polished, stroked and enticed, will grant our wishes.

Now it is true that we are invited to pray anything and everything that concerns us. I don’t want to suggest that praying for things that matter to us are wrong. The scriptures encourage this and God therefore welcomes honest prayers for help. The Psalms provide raw emotional responses to God in the midst of very difficult situations. God is big enough and welcomes these responses. 

We pray because through Jesus Christ, we have access to the very throne room of God (Heb. 4:16). Jesus himself invites us to pray and promises that whatever we ask in His name, He will do it. (Jn. 14:13, 14). Wow! That is an incredible promise that could easily be interpreted as three wishes offered by the genie.   

It is important and right to acknowledge the biblical place of intercessory prayer where we are invited by God to express, clarify and seek God’s grace-filled hand (I Tim. 2:1). This is mysterious and marvelously fertile ground for those who seek God first, believing all else will be taken care of by God. But the issue I keep coming back to centers on the heart attitude behind the prayers offered to God. A few questions of the heart might help clarify what I mean. 

• Does my heart suffer      seasons of anger, confusion, disappointment or anxiety toward God? Or can      I say, “Your will, not my will, be done,” authentically?
• Can my heart rest in      God’s providence and intention to see Himself glorified in all things?
• Do I find myself      marveling at God’s perfection, beauty and indwelling transformation?
• Do I feel I will miss      out on something if I don’t pray it first?

To stand before the God who holds the universe in His hands is a very intimidating thought. I think our words would be fewer if we know more of the nature, attributes and character of God. But to stand before a genie is to think we have him to ourselves and to our every whim—that He is bound to our wishes and self-centered existence.

We in

North America

need to be constantly aware of the cultural (read negative) influences on our spirituality. By spiritualizing these influences, we can become deceived into believing that they are in fact healthy values. The cultural forces of pragmatism and entrepreneurial leadership are two such forces shaping our prayer expectations. We constantly hear messages that “if it works it must be right” (pragmatics) and “you can do whatever you put your mind to” (entrepreneurial spirit). I can accomplish my dreams. But such attitudes when applied to prayer don’t work. They don’t work because they are opposite to healthy biblical spirituality that emphasizes humility, submission and following God’s lead and initiative. 

The God of Scripture is far, far greater than the limits of our understanding and expectations. He is “totally other.” Paul asks, “Who can know the mind of the Lord or who can give Him counsel? By “totally other,” we mean that we cannot fully know Him or proclaim that we can know Him. His ways are truly not our ways.

I also believe that the genies we pray to will forsake us, but the God of the scriptures will never forsake us. So to whom or what are you praying?

Prayer, I think, is our response to the God who is always working, initiating, loving, directing. It is a posture of expectant openness to God’s previous action. He is not limited to or by our actions. Some at this point might argue that we are co-workers with God and therefore have influence with God about His work and activity (cf. 2 Cor. 3:9). I agree with this, although it leaves me both excited and dumbfounded. But the key concept Paul is teaching in this context is that God is the initiator, the leader. We as co-workers are called to figure out what He is doing and desiring and then work with him to accomplish those doings and desires.

What if instead of sending a wish list, we asked God a few questions like:

• God how can I serve      you in this situation?
• Are there purposes you      are hoping to accomplish through me?
• Is there anything I      need to give up or give over to you?

When it comes to praying, I find these words by Stanley Jones most instructive and freeing: “Today I will not struggle and try, but surrender and trust.” This posture of the heart helps me settle into a relaxed attitude about life and its unpredictability. The good theology behind this statement suggests that God is big, God is in control, God can be trusted, God is loving and very involved in my life—without me having to inform him of details He perhaps has missed. One of my mentors challenged me with the idea that if a Bible-believing Christ follower is not in a state of relaxed freedom then something is or has gone wrong. God’s directive in Psalm 46:10 needs to be polished and dusted for its luster to shine bright again: “Be still and know that I am God.”

Ps. 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God…and not a genie. I know what is best for you and for my purposes—you don’t. And therefore, what you sometimes wish for is not necessarily the best option for you.”

Cam

Stuart
December 2006