God's Not a Genie or a Good Luck Charm

1 Samuel 4

Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

John 14:13-14

Does this mean we can just add Jesus's name to any request, and we'll receive whatever we ask for?

No. He's not a genie in a bottle that we can rub the right way and say the magic word, then have all our wishes come true. He's not bound by any word or deed offered by us. We can't compel Him to do what we want by following the rules, invoking His name in prayer, or wearing a cross.

Asking in His name means asking in His will.

This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

1 John 5:14

We can only be confident in our prayer if it's according to His will. Even Jesus Himself didn't stand on His own authority but submitted His will to the Father’s.

He fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

Matthew 26:39

His first priority is the Father's glory, not personal desire. So, if our prayer doesn't glorify God or if it goes against His plan - if Jesus wouldn't sign His name to the end it, then it doesn't matter how many times we say His name. It has to be what He wants, too.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Proverbs 19:21

His will doesn't bend to ours, so we need to adjust our will to His.

The Israelites Tried to Manipulate God

The Israelites tried to force God's hand by bringing the ark of the covenant into battle after He allowed the Philistines to defeat them. They were treating it like a good luck charm that had the power to bring them victory.

But the ark had no power in and of itself. God had been with them in battle the first time. That's not why they lost. They lost because their leaders were in opposition to Him. They should've accepted that God wasn't on their side and tried to figure out why. But instead, they tried to manipulate Him into giving them what they wanted, and they lost more people in the second battle than in the first. Their priests also died, and the Philistines captured the ark. All this was because they tried to make God do what they wanted Him to do instead of seeking His will.

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

Matthew 6:33

Praying According to God's Will

So, don’t make the same mistake. If you don’t understand why God isn’t answering your prayers the way you want, instead of trying to manipulate the situation and compel Him, ask Him why. Stop pushing what you want for a moment, set aside your own desires, and ask God about His. Humble yourself and submit your will to His.

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Take the focus off of yourself and put it on Him. Concentrate more on glorifying Him instead of getting what you want.

Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

God knows infinitely more than us. He's good and just, loving and gracious. He has an entire world to think about and He also has the power to work all things together for our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28)

So, trust Him more than you trust in yourself.

Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.

Psalm 37:3-5

Stop trying to manipulate Him into doing what you want, and seek His will. Let your prayer be “Not my will, Lord, but your will be done.” You can trust Him with your life!