Reverse psychology with God

Sometimes He just loves you too much to give you what you want

We all probably know how reverse psychology works. Parents are probably the best at it, although I've seen some teachers nail the concept with their students, too.

As a quick refresher, reverse psychology is suggesting or persuading someone to do the exact opposite of what you want, knowing it will cause them to do exactly what you want. Some people question the morality of this method, and depending on the situation I might actually agree with you.

This technique seems to be the most effective for young, rebellious kids or teenagers who are determined to do the opposite of what authority is saying. So, with all of that background, why do some of us subconsciously try to do this with God?

It will never work.

I'll be honest, I started thinking about this concept when I caught myself attempting to use it. We all have desires we come to God with. Some of these desires sound like, "God, it would be really nice if ," and others sound more like, "God, I need __, PLEASE!"

When you've been praying for something for a long time and God doesn't seem to be moving, sometimes we start questioning if we're praying the wrong way.

We go from boldly bringing Him our requests (Hebrews 4:16), to dropping to our knees with open hands asking for His will to be done in this area (Matthew 6:10). We pray and we pray with every cell of hope and energy we have because His Word says to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), until our hope dims, and our energy runs out, and we metaphorically crawl back to God using what little we have left to "be still, and know [He] is God" (Psalm 46:10).

But sometimes, we start to get crafty... "God, I know it's not good for me to be cured from, or have this thing. It's clearly an idol and I don't want anything to take Your place in my heart." Meanwhile, deep down, we're hoping we finally cracked the code and figured out how to pray... Now, where's my blessing?

Friends, God doesn't just hear us when we talk to Him; He hears our thoughts (when we're sleeping and when we're awake), He sees our hearts, there's no "tricking" Him, or successful use of reverse psychology with Him.

I'm constantly reminded, prayer is not a wish list, and God is not my wish grantor.

If we're not careful, we can very easily measure God's power, wisdom and love for us based on how He answers our prayers. We believe God is good, but why do you believe that? If it's because He has given you a comfortable life with almost everything you want, that's not good enough.

Don't forget the story of Job; It's not a parable, it's a story about a real man who once had everything and within an hour lost all of it. "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away" (Job 1:21), and Job still dropped to his knees, humbled before God, NOT to beg for it all back, but to praise Him!

Today, I wanted to remind myself and my readers of who God is: He is your Maker, sustainer, provider, protector, author of your life, guider and mentor, friend, Savior, healer, the One who alone makes you complete, and is the only example of pure unconditional love.

He knows you better than you, and He knows what you need. He is perfect, and so is His love for you. He cannot be manipulated to give you what you want-- He is too good and loving for that. He is just and gracious, and He knows what is good for you much better than what you think is good for you.

So friends, tell God your prayers; He wants to hear from you, He loves the sound of your voice, but remember in your conversation with Him, that He is God- His ways and thoughts are not ours (Isaiah 55:8).

So if He says "no" it's because (while you may not see it right away), He has a much better plan for you than what you want.

If He says "yes" praise Him and remember you didn't do anything to earn what He gave you.

And if He is quiet, remember He's still right there. He's not ignoring you, or waiting for you to figure out how to pray. He knows every detail of what you're praying for, and He's building something in you that's greater than any fulfilled prayer-- Faith and Trust in Him.

Thank you for reading :)