"Oh, Spirit of the lamp...."

In fairy tales, a genie is a tremendously powerful being capable of granting almost any wish. Although Genie stories differ over details, the one thing they all have in common is that the Genie is crucially limited by his “itty-bitty living space” and his subjugation to the wishes of the lamp’s owner. All that power literally at the rubbing of one’s fingertips. It’s an incredible fantasy.

But there’s a profoundly dangerous inversion in claiming mastery over something so thoroughly greater than yourself. And this inevitably leads to disrespect and abuse of the disgruntled Genie until he finally grants his master’s most self-destructive wishes. The idea of befriending the Genie or even seeking the Genie’s guidance rarely occurs to his owners.

So the real question we have to always ask ourselves is, “How would my picture of God and my way of relating to Him be different if He were merely my Genie?” The smaller the list, the more concerned you should be. And in the meantime, perhaps you should stop rubbing your Bible and hoping it makes your wishes come true.