Manipulating God
By Lisa Boyer
“The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful.”
Proverbs 12:22
The concert is this Saturday and I need a camera with lots of zoom to get good pictures…I’m going to be so far from the stage! I prayed silently as I gazed at the selection of cameras at the store, particularly the one with the awesome 35X optical zoom.
Let me backtrack: I had been trying to get permission to purchase that camera for months, but didn’t have peace about buying it. Here I was, once again trying to talk God into giving me permission. You see, not only was the concert Saturday but it was also my birthday, so if there was ever a time to talk God into giving me what I really wanted, it was now! But it didn’t work. I left the store without the camera. Fact is, my old camera still works. It has issues, but none serious enough to justify the purchase of a new camera and certainly not the expensive one I wanted. Back to the story…
Two days later, I got an email in response to a contest I’d entered online. I had won early entry tickets to Saturday’s concert! Early entry meant I would get a seat with the VIP ticket holders a half an hour before the other 9,000+ general admission ticket holders! I was going to get a good seat at the concert, way better than the nosebleed seat I had the year before!
As I turned my thoughts to thanking God for the tickets, I think I heard Him laughing… laughing and saying something like You said you needed to get good pictures, now you’ll have a seat close enough to do that - - with your old camera.
Ouch. He knew I had used the concert as an attempt to manipulate Him into allowing me to have something He had already said “no” to! Didn’t Satan attempt to manipulate Jesus into falling for his temptations? I was NOT in good company.
Yet instead of knowing about my attempt and letting it go at that, God still kindly provided for what I told Him I “needed” - - good pictures at the concert. I was humbled by our amazing God!
Winning early entry tickets was bittersweet. Bitter because during the entire four-hour concert my seat reminded me that God knew I had tried to manipulate Him. Yet sweet because of His incredible display of grace and mercy in giving me that seat which allowed me to take great pictures with my old camera.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Do you continually ask God for something to which He has already told you “no”? Today, will you decide to accept His answer, trust Him and let it go?
FURTHER READING:
Lisa has been married to Ted for 19 years and they have two teenage sons. Lisa administers Fresh Start’s Facebook and blog, and loves hanging out with and impacting teenage girls for Christ.
