The title of this article is a bit provocative, I confess, but the really scary thing about it is that I think it is sometimes much more accurate than it should be. At some point, we have probably all been guilty of this sort of thing. Let me explain.
First, some definitions: witchcraft is using magical spells or rites to coerce beings in the spirit world to help you. It is trying to manipulate the spiritual world to your own advantage.
Can a Christian do this? Well, obviously, a Christian could fully engage in this sort of thing by rebelling against the faith and seeking help from evil spirits, but this is not what I am talking about today.
Jesus once asked his disciples, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”1 and even more sobering, he once described judgment in this way, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”.2
I put these two quotes together because I think it helps us to understand these hard sayings of Jesus. And it is helpful in understanding the attitudes and behaviors I am talking about today. The difference between prayer and witchcraft comes down to one simple question.
Who is serving whom?
When we pray, are we trying to coerce God into obeying our will? Or are we submitting ourselves to God and praying according to His will? Are we asking as loving children in need? Or are we spoiled children stomping our feet and demanding our way? Do we try to make deals with God? Do we throw His words back in His face and demand action? Do we think we know better than God? Do we believe that He has our eternal best interests in mind? Or do we think like the wicked servant in Matthew 25 saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’. Do we really believe that God is good? Do we act like His faithful servants? Or do we approach God, prayer, and our religious service as a means to coerce Him to satisfy our desires?
So what is Prayer?
Is prayer a conversation where God does what we ask? Is prayer a conversation where our desires become more aligned with God’s desires? Does prayer change God’s mind? Can God change His mind? Should we ever even ask God to change His mind? As I look at the scriptures, I think a case can be made for all of these perspectives, including times when it appears that prayer actually changed God’s intentions for a situation. So it turns out that a simple question like, “What is prayer?” is in many ways a very difficult question to answer definitively and, theologically at least, turns out to be anything but simple.
But in a way, the question of prayer can be childishly simple if you approach prayer with the heart of a loving child and that of a faithful servant. The difference between prayer and witchcraft really is one of intent. Witchcraft is self-serving, and prayer is centered on the will and wisdom of God. The Bible is full of examples of normal people who ask God things in love and faith, and God responds to them. Whether the answer is yes or no, God does answer prayers. What we need to have is the right heart to ask the right questions and the right heart to hear the answers. And this, in my opinion, is the most important function of prayer, aligning our hearts and our desires with the desires of God.
So, is it wrong to pray for ourselves?
Of course not; there are several lines in the Lord’s Prayer that address our personal needs. Again, it is a question of intent. Our mistake when we pray for ourselves is often one of assuming we know what is best and then demanding God give it to us. Or we may even try to bargain with God to get what we feel we need. The truth is, what’s best for us is that which is eternally best for us. We can’t begin to understand the eternal consequences of our requests, but God can. If we wish to keep our prayer pure, we need to believe that God is good, all the time, and that he desires our eternal good more than we do. With this understanding, we can and should pray for our needs and the needs of others and trust that God will give us all that we truly need. But not always what we want at the moment.
This week
To wrap up, we definitely do not want to think about prayer as a way to bend God’s will to ours, as if God is a reluctant Genie. But we do want to pray, and it is not at all wrong to ask. So, what changes do we want to make to our prayer life this week?
Once again, James has some advice.
You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. [James 4:2b-3 ESV]
This week, I want to be more deliberate in my prayer. I want to make wisdom my first ask so I can know His will and see clearly to ask in love and faith. Confident that my father in heaven knows what is best and what I truly need, long before I ask. Join me and bring a friend!
Have a great week!
Luke 6:46
Matt 7:21-23
