God Isn't A Genie

I feel like we all struggle with the way we view God, I feel like often times when we talk to Him, it's when we need something.  I myself, am guilty of this.  I find myself praying to God through out the day, not to thank Him, or just praise Him for being wonderful, but to constantly ask things of Him.    The way my mind views God, is something that has been at the front of my mind recently, and it's been something I have wanted to change for sometime now.

Today a beautiful friend of mine, was praying with me over my hurting heart, and something she said made me tear up, and think so differently of God.   She prayed and said "That you would be the hands over her ears protecting her from every nasty lie"  When I read that, I immediately pictured words, opinions, deceiving thoughts, lies from the enemy,  swirling through my head, at a constant and consistent pace, overwhelming me, making me shut down, and cry out in desperation, and God's hands placed over my ears, as peace, and comfort rushed over me.  It was such a revealing thought, and helped me understand a little more about the relationship God wants to have with us.

This may sound silly but, last night I went and saw Catching Fire (the new hunger games, if you haven't seen it then this may be a spoiler for you.) there is a seen where Katniss is trapped inside a force field, with a very large flock of Mockingbirds, that are mocking Katniss' little sister Prim screaming for help.  The birds are whizzing around her, repeatedly mimicking Prim, Katniss drops to the ground, hands over her ears and is screaming in utter terror.  On the outside of the force field is Peeta, yelling trying to tell Katniss "It's not real, clam down, you'll be okay, I'm right here, it'll end soon!"  He sat there and continually yelled trying to comfort her.

When life gets hard, or when we are constantly being told lies, and we try to deal with it on our own, God is right there on the other side of the force field, yelling, reaching out His hand, trying to help us, trying to rescue and comfort us.  If Katniss would have just turned and looked to Peeta, and listened to his words as he yelled them, it wouldn't have been as bad, if she would have known that it would end, and that it wasn't real, it would have helped ease the moment.   We are like Katniss, we break down, and cover our ears, we try so hard to deal with things on our own, because we view God as a person that is there to just give us things, not to help us, or redirect our paths, not as someone that truly wants whats best for us, and wants us to trust Him.

I feel that if we all viewed God as our best friend, we would have an easier time with hard trials.  If my best friend were to come to me, and warn me, or tell me that if I did a certain thing, or told me that something would harm me, I would trust her.  I wouldn't do what ever it was that she was warning me of.  So, why don't I respond to God the same way?  I have found myself in multiple situations where I can look back and see the warnings God gave me, or the multiple ways that He gave me to get out of certain situations.  He is right there yelling, "Don't do that, don't go that way, look at me, I have a better plan, I can help, I love you and want whats best!"  But I ignore Him, I realize further down the road, when I have given everything I have trying to fix something on my own, that if I would have listened to Him in the first place, I could have saved myself from so much hurt.  If I would have just trusted God, and grabbed the hand that was stretched out to me, I wouldn't have to go through these things alone.

The bottom line is, God isn't a Genie, He isn't here to answer our wishes and make our lives perfect.  He is here because He loves us, and wants to rescue us in the hard times, He wants to have a relationship with us, He wants to be the best friend that we listen to, and tell everything to.  Not just the friend that is convenient to have around, because they give you things.  He want us, all of us, the good and the bad.

He wants you and I to praise Him, when life is good, and when life sucks, when things are going our way, and when the entire world is against us, and we feel like we have nothing more to give.  He wants to rescue us, and show us the better way to do things.

I guess what I'm trying to convey is that God, is here with you and me, day in and day out He never leaves.  What my friend said, made me think of God in a way that changed my view, it made me picture God, not as someone that I pray to who I can't see, but as a protector.  I literally pictured my self on the ground, hands over my ears, screaming in utter terror, because of lies, opinions, and pain, that surrounded me, as these mighty but gentle hands reached down and covered my ears.  It got silent, the words, and thoughts stopped, and God just hugged me.  He reminded me that it would be okay, that one day we would all be rewarded for our faithfulness to Him, and that one day those words, and opinions, would stop and that there would be pure joy, in Heaven.   I have honestly never had a more comforting thought, than the one I had today.  But I am thankful that I had it.