Daily devotional, Nov 18, 2023 Not a genie
"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:3
Every person familiar with the story Aladdin and the Magic Lamp has probably dreamt of being granted three wishes. It is not uncommon for the young to talk among friends and excitedly think of what those three wishes would be if the genie suddenly asked you.
Unfortunately, some of us have yet to outgrow our fantasy to free a genie from an old lamp someday, and be granted three of our biggest desires in life. One of the reasons why some people lose hope and stop attending church is when they fail to get what they have been praying for. Thinking that God is like a genie that will hear their wishes if they pray fervently, they plead to the Lord day in and day out waiting for their wishes to come true. When they haven’t gotten what they have been praying for they start resenting the Lord.
But the Book of Ecclesiastes says we should not lose heart. In Chapter 3:11, King Solomon encouraged people to wait for God’s timing:
"He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." Ecclesiastes 3:11
Sometimes, what we ask for may not be good for us in the long run hence the Lord is withholding it. If we just trust in His sovereignty, we will be patient enough to wait for His response.
"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." 1 John 5:14
Sin is one of the biggest reasons why our prayers remain unanswered. It could seem like we never get the peace and contentment that we have been praying for, or the blessing we have been longing for. But we should examine ourselves and ask if we deserve all the spiritual and material blessings we have been asking the Lord. Here are two of the many passages that correlate sin with ungranted prayers:
"When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil," Isaiah 1:15-16
and
"We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him." John 9:31
It is also possible that our prayers are not answered because it is not aligned to God’s will, and not according to His design. In his Epistle, James the brother of Jesus reminded the church in Jerusalem that they do not receive what they ask for because they are motivated by the wrong things:
"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:3
Some people even claim bible promises, and become totally inconsolable when they fail to receive what was promised. What they fail to realise though is that every promise comes with a premise. You cannot receive a blessing unless you abide, you cannot be restored unless you repent.
The Gospel of St. John quoted Jesus saying: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you,” (John 15:7). Unfortunately for some, they only caught the promise stated in this verse and not the whole passage. This is why it is important to intentionally spend time reading the scriptures. So that we know both the promise and its premises and live it out.
But how about those who are trying hard to live in Christlikeness, yet still get sick, have problems, and unanswered prayers? Well, let us take a cue from the Apostle Paul who said that his ungranted supplication serves a purpose in his life and makes him totally reliant on our Lord and Savior:
"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
We should remind ourselves that God is sovereign and omniscient. He knows what is best for us, and he knows all our intentions. He longs to be gracious to us. So if our supplications have yet to materialize then we just keep the faith. We should continue seeking the Lord, nurture our personal relationship with Him, and trust that whether He grants our prayer or not, what is important for us is He is in the front and center of our lives.
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on 1 John 5:14-15; John 14:12-14 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you treat the Lord as a Genie? How do you react when your prayers remain unanswered?
Conversation with the Lord:Lord Jesus Christ, grant me the confidence to fully trust you with my heart’s greatest desires. I know that you only have my best interest in mind, and that I should commend everything to your wisdom and timing. Amen.