The Temptation to Bargain with God
Speaker: Pastor Darin Browne
You are in a marketplace, and you see something you want. “I’ll give you twenty dollars for this.” No, I want $50, etc. We want what we want, and we want it at the lowest price we can manage. Mankind has been like this forever…
Proverbs 20:14
“It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer – then goes off and boasts about the purchase.
We all love a bargain. And who among us has not tried to bargain with God to get what we want? Jesus said…
Matthew 7:7
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7-8 (Message)
“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in.
Today I want to talk about the temptation to bargain with God to get what we want. Wanting our way, at the least expense to us. If we say we believe in grace, God’s love and grace are freely given and not something to be earned through deals or exchanges.
WHAT IS BARGAINING WITH GOD?
Bargaining with God, in a religious context, refers to the act of attempting to negotiate with God for a specific outcome or blessing, often in exchange for a promise of obedience or service.
I believe this approach to prayer is flawed, as it is often rooted in a desire for control rather than faith and submission to God’s will. Yet, desperate as we often are to get our own way, all of us have resorted to this.
While some biblical figures like Abraham and Hannah appear to engage in a form of negotiation with God, it’s important to understand the nuances of their interactions and the potential pitfalls of viewing prayer as a transaction.
A BAD BARGAIN
Many people, even those who are not Christians, bargain with God if they are desperate enough. We call them “Foxhole Christians.” When desperate or fearful enough, they say, “God, if you save me, I’ll do this.” Martin Luther was caught in a thunderstorm and hit by lightning, and he cried out to God, “Save me, and I will become a monk.”
Jephthah was a judge raised up by God to rescue his people from oppression. He did a lot of great things, but, desperate for a victory, he made a rash vow to God. He tried to bargain to win God’s favour.
Judges 11:30-31
And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’S, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
Sadly, we read this a few verses later…
Judges 11:34-35
When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break.”
This is an example of rash, poorly considered bargaining with God, and this is why Jesus said…
Matthew 5:33-34, 37
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfil to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
God’s not out to try and bargain with you, He wants to bless you. You don’t have to bribe or convince Him! So, if bargaining doesn’t get you blessed, what does?
GOOD BARGAINS WITH GOD
There are a few Biblical examples of positive bargaining with God.
1: Abraham’s negotiation for Sodom…
In Genesis 18:23-33, Abraham intercedes for Sodom, bargaining with God to spare the city if a certain number of righteous people can be found.
2: Hannah’s vow for a son…
Hannah, in 1 Samuel 1:11, vows to dedicate her son to God’s service if she is granted a child.
Interpreting these examples:
While these figures appear to bargain with God, their interactions can be seen not as attempts to manipulate God, but as expressions of deep faith, trust, and a desire to align their will with God’s will. They were not bargaining to get something from God; they were interceding to bless the Lord and others.
WHY DO WE TRY TO BARGAIN WITH GOD?
So, exactly what does bargaining with God look like, and what drives it?
1: WE BARGAIN FOR A SPECIFIC OUTCOME
This involves making a promise or vow to God in exchange for a desired outcome, such as healing, success, or a child. God, I want this so bad I will do whatever you ask!
Genesis 28:20-21
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD will be my God
2: WE BARGAIN TO GAIN CONTROL
Bargaining can stem from a lack of trust in God’s sovereignty and a desire to manipulate the situation to one’s advantage. Lord, if you get me this job, or this husband, I promise I will do that for You.
Jeremiah 10:23
LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.
3: WE BARGAIN BECAUSE WE MISUNDERSTAND GOD
Bargaining can reflect a view of God as a transactional figure rather than a loving and benevolent Father. This was Jephthah’s problem, he didn’t know God enough to trust Him.
Jeremiah 17:5
This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
We think we must try and manipulate God to get the result we want, not realising that He has a plan already, and rather than trying to make Him do our will we should rest in His will.
WHY IS BARGAINING WITH GOD PROBLEMATIC?
1: IT UNDERMINES FAITH
Trying to bargain with God really reveals a lack of trust in God’s sovereign wisdom and goodness. It is us leaning on our own understanding, not trusting God for His.
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
2: IT FOSTERS A TRANSACTIONAL RELATIONSHIP
It can reduce prayer to a mere exchange rather than a relationship of love and trust. Prayer becomes a shopping list of your demands, and it reduces God from being a loving Father to being a celestial Santa Clause, who rewards you for being nice instead of naughty. It is presumptuous, saying if I do this, I can force God to do that.
Psalms 19:13
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
One of the greatest sins of Pentecostalism is presumption. We read a verse like…
Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
And we think, hey, God wants me to be rich, and always happy. So, Lord, I’m praying for someone to give me money, because work makes me sad, and meet my every need, because uncomfortable less makes me sad. You and God should be a relationship, not a transaction. God is not making a lost and checking it twice to find out if you are naughty or nice!
3: IT IGNORES GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY
It can reflect a desire to control God rather than submitting to His will.
Psalms 37:4-5
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this
Last I saw, God was God and you ain’t! We should be about submitting to His leadership, not trying to bend and bribe God to our will.
4: IT WILL INEVITABLY LEAD TO DISAPPOINTMENT
If the desired outcome is not achieved, it can lead to disillusionment and a questioning of faith, when He may never have promised you in the first place!
Psalms 43:5
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
If you have bargained with God and found yourself disillusioned or let down, trust in the Lord, because bargaining and manipulation are not the way to live your life.
THE ALTERNATIVE TO BARGAINING WITH GOD
1: SEEK GOD’S WILL
Pray for wisdom and discernment to understand God’s will in a specific situation. If we seek God’s will instead of trying to bargain for our own will, we will never be disappointed, because our will becomes His will.
Romans 12:2
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.
2: SEEK GOD IN HIS WORD
Strive to obey God’s commandments and live a life that honours Him. How can you trust someone you don’t know? If a street person asks me for $100, I will not give it to them. But I would give $100 and more to my wife. Why? Because I know her. You get to know God more intimately by reading His Word. This is not some old, outdated book.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
3: SEEK GOD IN PRAYER
Engage in honest and heartfelt dialogue with God, even when facing doubt and uncertainty. We often pray as a last resort, but if we pray first up, we will align our will to God’s more easily and understand Him more.
Philippians 4:6
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
4: SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM
Trusting that God’s plan is ultimately good and beneficial, even if it’s not what we expect or want.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
When we seek God and put His Kingdom agenda first, all our other legitimate needs will be supplied. When we seek Him first, when we seek not His hand, but His face, then our will begins to align with His will, and He takes care of the rest. If you have a need today, don’t try and bargain with God or make rash promises, just seek His Kingdom and trust Him.
5: SEEK TO SERVE
My experience is that when we serve others and put their needs before our own, God provides for us miraculously. Why? Because that’s how His Kingdom works! Jesus said…
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
So rather than whining about what you don’t have, thank God for what you do have, and serve God’s Kingdom and other people. There’s plenty of ways to serve here at Ignite.
In conclusion, while bargaining with God might seem like a way to get what you want, it is built on the flawed premise that God must be forced or bribed into blessing you. But I believe His goodness is running after me! Submit to God’s will, and His blessing runs after you. Ultimately, true blessing comes from aligning our hearts with God’s and trusting in His perfect plan.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.