8th February 2026 - Brendan Hurley

Well let's pray, let's ask God for help as we

look at his word now. Father we thank you that

you're a speaking God, that you speak to us in

the Bible. We thank you that you're a listening

God, that you answer our prayers, that you hear

them and act on them. And we ask Father that

you would help us to see how wonderful it is

to be in relationship with you as we look at

your word now. Amen. Well, my wife Laura has

some strange hobbies. She's away in Sydney at

the moment with one of our sons, Ethan. They're

playing a Pokemon card tournament and they're

having a blast from what I can hear. She's got

some strange hobbies, but probably the strangest

that I've come across her having was that back

in Geraldton, she used to write grant applications.

That was her hobby. I kid you not, she did that

for fun. She raised over $100 ,000 in grants

for the Geraldton Toy Library when we were back

in Geraldton, her and another lady. Together

they worked out this formula for writing grants

that just seemed to get a pretty good answer

nine times out of ten. So she just kept getting

this favourable answer, you know, submit it to

NAB, submit it to the council, submit it to whoever,

and all of a sudden they just get more money.

It was amazing. I sometimes wonder if she uses

that ability on me. I don't think so. Then again,

she's in Sydney right now. Anyway. But wouldn't

it be great if you could pray like that? Wouldn't

that be great if you could... pray in the same

way that laura makes a grant application you

know it's not 10 out of 10 but gee you know you

get a favorable answer most of the time that'd

be pretty awesome you want something a promotion

a spouse a house healing conversion of someone

you love and you just ask god and it happens

wouldn't that be awesome if there was just like

a formula that you could kind of come to god

with and you just knew the right formula the

right way to ask to get what you want that'd

be fantastic wouldn't it especially because god

is all powerful i mean you know it's it's one

thing to ask you know for laura to ask me and

i can give her limited things it's one thing

for her to ask the geralton city council they're

kind of limited in what they can give but to

come to god And ask him for things. He's all

powerful. What a great thing that would be. It'd

be like having your own genie. Except there's

no limits on the wishes. The trick would be finding

out that formula. Wouldn't that be amazing? So

I want to ask today, is there a way to get God

to give me what I want? Is there a way to get

God... to give me what i want if there is i bet

we all want to know it if there's not well then

what is the point of prayer why do we bother

with it see the thing is many of us want a god

who is a genie some christians feel disillusioned

with god when they don't get what they want i

i get that it can be really hard sometimes many

people explore christianity Because they're desperate.

They're going, is there a God out there who can

give me the sort of things I want? I don't necessarily

want him, but I want the things he can give me.

Well, if either one of those are you, sorry,

today I need to tell you, I don't have a formula

that I can give you. Sorry to disappoint. God's

not actually like that. But I want to show you

today that the Christian God is so much better

than the genie God. how so how should we think

of the god that we pray to that's what we're

going to look at today and the driving focus

of this passage the closest thing that we get

to a formula for prayer is this here's the big

thing we see today god is a caring father who

gives us what we really need that's the way to

approach god it's the closest thing we get to

a formula That's the thing we need to be thinking

about when we pray. God is a caring Father who

gives us what we really need. And when you see

that, praying like that is so much better than

praying to the sort of genie God we wish we had.

So that's the big thing we see in our passage.

God is a caring Father who gives us what we really

need. And there's two things that Jesus tells

us to do when we pray. Here's what we see. Firstly,

don't try to coerce God. Don't try to coerce

God. Don't try and twist his arm. And secondly,

trust God's fatherly care. Trust God's fatherly

care. They're the two things we're going to see

today. So let's start with the first one. Don't

try to coerce God. When you pray, don't try to

coerce God. See, prayer is not us trying to get

God to do our will. It's not us trying to control

God. Prayer is about trusting our good Heavenly

Father, trusting that he's in control of us and

of everything. If you've got a Bible there in

front of you, come with me to verse 7. And when

you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans,

for they think they'll be heard because of their

many words. Now, in the ancient world, people

would pray by repeating an extensive list, names

of a particular God they'd speak magic incantations

they'd repeat themselves louder and louder like

we saw in our Old Testament reading they'd even

harm themselves in order to get their God's attention

and the point of doing that was to try and force

their God to answer them and answer them favorably

they kind of saw the gods of their day and age

as kind of reluctant to give So you kind of had

to twist their arm or stroke their ego to get

your prayers answered. You had to come to them

with the right formula. Now, we actually have

our own versions of this today, don't we? Think

of something like The Secret. You know, that

whole book about the law of attraction and you

just manifest your desires. That's kind of a

secular way of doing it. But even in Christianity,

there's things like the Word of Faith movement,

isn't there? name it and claim it you just need

enough faith or you know maybe a bit more subtly

sometimes we're tempted to do bartering prayer

you know that one the quid pro quo kind of prayer

you know lord if i just do this if i give you

some money to the church if i come to god with

the right words then he will give me what i want

Now, all of these are attempts to force God,

to force God or a higher power to give us what

we want. I think I used this illustration once

before, but it's wanting God to be like a claw

machine or approaching God like a claw machine.

I remember we went to Time Zone for Ollie's birthday

last year and our kids loved the claw machines

at Time Zone. I hate Time Zone. If anyone wants

to take my kids to Time Zone so that I don't

have to go, you're more than welcome. It's just

so overstimulating for anyone over the age of

35. You go to Time Zone and there's claw machines

everywhere. And the claw machines, they offer

the big prizes, but they're so hard, aren't they?

And my kids, they dream of being claw machine

masters. They're sitting there and they're trying

to get the little joystick just the right amount.

Oh, not quite, not quite. Okay, push the button,

push the button. And then the claw comes down.

It picks it up. You think, yes, I've got what

I want. And then it goes boop and falls down.

And you've just got to keep trying and trying

and trying. Well, for many people, that's what

prayer can easily become, isn't it? It's like,

if I just come to God the right way, just like

with the claw machine, if I just get it just

right, if I do it again and again, persist, until

finally I get what I want, I'll get what I want.

I just have to have the right formula. But have

you ever thought about how blasphemous and insulting

approaching God like that really is? It's forgetting

who's God in the relationship. Does God suddenly

exist to do my bidding? Or, hang on, aren't I

here to do what he wants? Actually, it's viewing

God as harsh, that he only is generous to me

and gives to me when... I somehow earn it or

merit it. And it's treating God as if he's stingy,

as if he's reluctant to give, that he's got to

be forced and coerced to actually bless us. That's

not what God is like. What do we see at the start?

God is a caring father who gives us what we really

need. He loves to give us what we need. He's

more willing to give than we are to ask. You

know, God is not like John Paul Getty. Have you

heard of John Paul Getty? He was a billionaire

oil baron, and he's basically the epitome of

Scrooge. He was around in the 1970s. His grandson

was kidnapped, and they asked for a ransom, and

he refused to pay. Only after months of torture

and an ear getting cut off, which was sent to

him, did he eventually pay. three million dollars

three million instead of the original seven million

uh it he sort of bartered them down this billionaire

it took so much pressure for him to give anything

that's john paul getty the god that christians

pray to is not like that but sadly sometimes

we approach him as if he is Imagine you've had

a really bad day. You wake up late, you skip

breakfast, you jump in the car but the car won't

start, you've got to walk or catch the bus and

you get to work and you're grumpy and you put

your foot in your mouth all day. Do you have

foot in mouth disease? That's pretty regular

for me. And then you've got a co -worker who

asks you at work about Jesus. Great to get an

opportunity like that, but you're so grumpy that

you nearly bite their head off. It's going well,

isn't it? You get home, and then you're cranky

with your spouse, you're short with the kids,

and you get into bed and you think, oh, no, I

should pray. What's the point, though? I doubt

God would even listen, especially after the way

I've been today. Now imagine the next day. You

have a wonderful day. You wake up early and,

you know, you don't just wake up rubbing the

sleep out of your eyes. You wake up with that

added enthusiasm, that vim and vigour. You go

for a run. You have a hearty and healthy breakfast.

You get to work early and you work so well that

the boss notices and says, do you know, I think

it's about time we talk about that promotion.

Your co -worker asks you about Jesus and... You

give an amazing answer with the grace and the

insight of Spurgeon or Billy Graham. You invite

them to church and they say yes. You get home

and everyone's relating beautifully. Your spouse

greets you at the door with a smile and a hug.

And the kids, they just follow your every command

and every word. You have a great family devotion

at dinner time. It's fantastic. And you go to

bed and what happens? You're eager to pray. You

did so well today. Lord, I'm going to pray for

everybody and every missionary I can think of

and my half -cousin twice removed. Now, what's

wrong with both those scenarios? You think that

God hears and answers your prayers based on your

performance. It's treating God as if he answers

prayers based on a formula. You know, if I put

in X, good living, God will answer with Y. But

why does God hear us and answer our prayers?

It's because of grace, isn't it? It's the blood

of Jesus. His death on the cross that's given

us access to God. It's the curtain being torn

in two because of the death of Jesus. God is

not more or less likely to hear you if you did

well or poorly today. God's children shouldn't

approach him that way, should they? We come to

a loving, gracious, generous Father who is more

willing to give than we are to ask. So when you

pray, Don't try to coerce God. So how should

you pray? Trust God's fatherly care. Trust God's

fatherly care. Look with me at verse 8. Do not

be like them. Do not be like the non -Christians,

the pagans, the non -Christian world who try

and force God to give them stuff. Why? Well,

your father knows. Did you see what Jesus assumes

here about the God that we have? He assumes that

God is almighty, that he has the power to give

us what we need. He assumes that God is a father

who loves us and cares for us and wants what's

best for us. He says that God is wise, that he

knows our needs before we do. And better than

we do. A God like this is so much better than

a genie God, isn't it? I mean, human parents,

they're a little pale shadow of this, aren't

they? They help us see what a good father...

We have in heaven. I think of a couple I know

back in Broken Hill. When we were there, they

had twins. And before the twins were born, this

couple, they went around and they were buying

car seats and clothes and bottles. They were

thinking about what these twins needed before

they could even coo, before they even came out.

They were such wonderful parents. Or I think

one time we used to have a dart board at home

and when Geneva was two, she would see me with

the older boys playing darts. It's a great way

to practice maths, by the way, if you've got

young kids. Great way to lose an eye as well.

But she'd look at the darts and she'd say, I

need it! And she'd ask me for it. And I'd say,

sorry baby girl, when you're older, I'd love

to play with you. Now, I did that because as

her dad, I love her and I care for her, and I

don't want her to get hurt. She thinks she needs

it, but as her dad, I know better. Or it's a

bit like this. Think of that movie, Bruce Almighty.

Did you ever see that? There's that scene in

Bruce Almighty. Bruce is this TV reporter. He's

given some godlike powers and all the prayers

start coming to him. And he answers yes to all

the prayers. He can't be bothered sorting through

them. So he just does a blanket reply all yes.

Well, you know what happens? The world descends

into utter chaos. Everyone who prayed that they'd

win the lottery, they all win. And so they only

win a few bucks. And it leads to anger, violence,

chaos, riots in the streets. And it's a kind

of powerful picture, that, because it shows us

that getting what we want isn't always good,

is it? I think some of the prayers that I've

said in my life, in hindsight, I'm very glad

God didn't say yes. The third time, I think I've

said this in three months, but I want to keep

beating this drum because it's so important in

our prayer lives. As a youth, I was taught God

answers prayers in one of three ways, yes, no,

or not yet. But what's he answer? He answers

with only two answers, yes or better, because

he's a good heavenly father. If we were omniscient,

if we could see and know everything, we'd answer

prayers the way God answers prayers. We'd see

that he's right to do it the way he does. But

maybe you're still sceptical that God is a good

father who answers with either yes or better.

If that's you, I'd want to suggest you look at

the cross. Before I was born... God knew I needed

a saviour. He planned to send his son, the Lord

Jesus. Before I even realised I was a sinner

facing God's righteous eternal judgement, before

I even asked Jesus to come into my life and save

me from my sins, God had sent Jesus to die in

my place. He'd already arranged things to work

in my life, to open my eyes. God knew my needs

before I did. He knew them better than I did.

He is such a good, wise and caring Father. But

that opens another can of worms. If God knows

our needs, then why pray at all? He's got this,

right? Why bother praying? I love what J .I.

Packer says in his book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty

of God. it's a bit small but let me read it to

you it says this ask and you shall receive seek

and you will find knock and the door will be

opened if you and i are too proud or lazy to

ask we need not expect to receive this is the

universal rule in evangelism as elsewhere god

will make us pray before he blesses our labors

in order that we may constantly learn afresh

that we depend on god for everything And then

when God permits us to see conversions, we shall

not be tempted to ascribe them to our own gifts

or skill or wisdom or persuasiveness, but to

his work alone, and so we shall know whom we

ought to thank for them. So he's saying there

that actually when it comes to prayer, whether

it's for evangelism or anything else, God wants

to teach us that we depend on him for everything.

And he's going to often hold back until we...

Pray to him so that we learn afresh that we do

depend on him for everything. See, the asking

is actually good for us, isn't it? It strengthens

our relationship with our Father. It humbles

our hearts so that we see how much we need him.

It fills us with gratitude and a heart to worship

him for all that he's done for us. Even though

God knows what we need, even though he's going

to act before we know what to ask for, we still

must ask. We still must depend on him because

it's good for us. You know, I think the perfect

model is to copy the Lord Jesus, isn't it? Pray

like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Do

you remember? He prays, Father, all things are

possible for you. Take this cup from me. Now

Jesus is going, God can do anything. He's able

to change things. I'm going to pray for anything

and I'm going to pray boldly because I know he

hears me and answers me and can do anything.

But Jesus also said, yet not what I will, but

what you will. His prayer was that his will,

his heart, would be aligned with his Father's.

And that's what gives us great peace when we

pour our hearts out to God, asking for something,

and it doesn't happen. We can go, our Father

knows best. We trust that he is doing what is

better for me. All right, let's draw some threads

together. We started by asking, how can I get

God to give me what I want? And I hope you've

seen as we've gone through today that that's

actually the wrong question. A better question

to ask is, what is God like? How does he answer

my prayers? And here's what we saw. We saw that

God is a caring father who gives us what we really

need. God's a caring father who gives us what

we really need. And if we're one of his children,

here's how we should pray. Don't try to coerce

God. Trust God's fatherly care. So what's all

this mean for us? Well, some of you might be

here today and you're not yet one of God's children.

You haven't had your sins forgiven. You haven't

trusted in Jesus' death. You haven't been welcomed

into God's family. God is not yet your father.

But I want to tell you today, he would be happy

to adopt you. He's happy to adopt anyone. Jesus

died for all the times we didn't trust God as

Father, all the times we sold God short in our

mind, all the times we ignored him and rejected

him. Christians believe that God is a Father,

an all -knowing, all -powerful, and all -loving

Father, and that anyone... can become his child

if they trust in the Lord Jesus. If you're here

today and you're not yet one of God's children,

can I ask, are you better off continuing to ignore

him? The comfort and the peace it gives you when

you pray to a God who is your father. It's unparalleled.

What's stopping you from praying to him now?

Maybe while we're singing our next song, maybe

you need to say to God, God, I want you to be

my father. I want to be your child. Please forgive

me my sins and make me your child. While everyone's

singing, just pray that quietly in your own heart.

But if you're here today and you are one of God's

children, I know that there will be times where

it can feel like God is shortchanging you. It's

hard. You pray and you pray and you pray for

something good, for a job, for a spouse, for

healing, for conversion, for some sort of change.

And God doesn't give it to you and you wonder,

why hasn't God given me what I want? What am

I doing wrong? What is he doing? What's going

on? Does he even love me? Is he just cruel or

sadistic? Why? And if that's you, I want to encourage

you, don't buckle under your doubts. Actually,

doubt your doubts. Maybe they're not serving

you very well. Better yet, go back to the cross

and see what sort of God you have. You have a

good Father who loves you. And even though at

times it's hard to see, He knows what's best.

I get it. A genie God sounds appealing. A God

who with the right formula just caves in sounds

really good. But scratch beneath the surface

and you see it's not as good as it actually sounds.

Thankfully the God who is there is so much better.

He's a Father who loves us, who is wise, and

he is answering your prayers better than you

can imagine. Keep praying and don't lose heart.

Let me pray. Father, we thank you that you are

a good Father, a wise Father, a powerful Father.

We thank you that you know what's best for us.

And when we pray, help us to trust your fatherly

care, that you are giving us what we need. There

are times where it is hard, where it hurts, but

help us to see that you truly want what's better

for us, that you want what's best for us, better

than we do. Help us to trust you, we pray. Amen.