Bargaining With God

"If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth." Numbers 30:2

Have you ever bargained with God?  Has there ever been a time in your life when you received a 'wake-up' call and knew that you had to make a radical change in your life?  In a frantic cry for help, perhaps you prayed, 'God if only You...I promise to change!'  I had such a moment the other day, but I will get to that in a moment.

There are several instances in the bible where people attempted to bargain with God.  They negotiated, vowed, or even made deals with God in exchange for divine favor, mercy and help.  

-Abraham negotiated with God concerning Sodom- Genesis 18:23-33

-Jacob's vow- Genesis 28:20-22

-Jephthah's vow-Judges 11:30-31

-Hannah's prayer- 1 Samuel 1:10-11

And that is just to name a few.  There are other examples in the bible for God to prove whether or not He was truly calling a man to do something.  I think of Gideon and the fleece he threw out to God. Not only once, but twice.  Judges 6

The other day I had my wake-up call.  I was sitting in my doctor's office waiting for the EKG and Chest X-ray test results.  Before the tests, the words of my doctor didn't sound promising.  During the tests, I prayed.  Waiting for the results I prayed.

I will be transparent: poor choices in my eating habits had brought me to this moment.  Half-hearted diets, promising myself I will exercise more and laziness to put those self-made promises into action finally came to a crossroad.  I prayed and asked God that if my tests came back clear, I would change my eating habits.  Healthier foods and smaller portions.

Was I bargaining with God in that moment, or was I finally facing reality of a sin in my life?

Whatever it may have been, I could relate with those who had prayed the same prayers.

My tests came back clear.

God doesn't want us to buy His favor...

    We just simply need to ask and trust in His mercy towards us...

        But that's just me!