I like to think that I\u2019ve learned the art of negotiating quite well \u2013 especially in Mexico. I can haggle with the best of them. Store owner says: \u201cTwenty dollars\u201d. I say: \u201cTwelve dollars\u201d. He says: \u201cBest price \u2013 Eighteen dollars!\u201d I start to walk away, and he says: \u201cFor you, \u201cFifteen dollars\u201d! I say: \u201cSOLD!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Okay, maybe I am not that good at negotiating because that fifteen dollars is probably still higher than the merchant had already set in his mind. That item was already set in his books, planned from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bartering isn\u2019t usually practiced where I live so I accept the asking price. But, when I sold my home, you better believe there was plenty of negotiating until Buyer AND Seller agreed with the final offer and contract. The same thing with my car \u2013 we haggled, did the walk away and then the salesman came running after us with his best deal!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asking for better prices (like on a car, 4-wheeler, truck or RV \u2013 my family are pros at those) is part of negotiating. It is expected at car dealerships, builders, and other retail outlets. Did you know that \u201casking\u201d is rewarded in scripture? We must ask for it. \u201cFor everyone who ASKS receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.\u201d (Luke 11:10)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asking aka negotiating and schmoozing (the wining and dining technique) seem to be a part of doing life. I witnessed the schmoozing part when we were being offered \u201ca good deal\u201d on a time-share property. Three days and two nights of elite treatment. We knew the ASK was coming. It came and we did the walk-away!
There are many \u201cnegotiating\u201d practices in scripture. In Genesis 18, we find Abraham haggling with God for the safety of the innocent in Sodom. He starts high and works his way down, while seemingly schmoozing God along the way. It\u2019s almost arrogant and yet each time Abraham asks God to lower the amount, He does. Initially, that passage might look like God is indecisive and is willing to negotiate with us. Like, \u201cyou do this, and I\u2019ll do that\u201d! Oh, but contraire. That\u2019s not how God works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What if the story is instead meant to convey God\u2019s vast love for His people? God\u2019s omnipotence means He ALREADY KNEW the fate of Sodom and yet we find Him repetitively affirming Abraham\u2019s requests to love the people. \u201cWould you spare 50? 45? 40? 30? 20? 10?\u201d And each time, God responds \u201cyes\u201d to Abraham, and each response grows in tenderness. \u201cFor the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it\u201d (Genesis 18:32).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those answers do not speak to Abraham\u2019s negotiating abilities but rather to the immense love of the Father Who I imagine would continue to answer in the same way even if Abraham\u2019s numbers dwindled down to the question of merely one. \u201cWhat if there is only one person?\u201d Or, \u201cWhat if it\u2019s only me, Lord?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve come to know. God is so relentless in His love for us that He even answers us when we\u2019re attempting to \u201cLet\u2019s make a deal, God!\u201d It may seem like He goes silent on us during those times, but NOT SO! He gently and tenderly speaks to us in His way and His timing: \u201cMy precious one, My ways are so much higher than your ways. But, to answer your question: \u2018YES, but not today\u2019 or \u2018YES, but not there\u2019 or \u2018YES, but I have something better in mind. Trust ME! It will ALL turn out for your good!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In short, God doesn’t want to negotiate because He thinks we have something better to offer Him. He doesn’t want to bargain because He has something better to offer us!
\u201cBe still\u2026..AND know that I am God!\u201d Psalm 46:10
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I like to think that I\u2019ve learned the art of negotiating quite well \u2013 especially in Mexico. I can haggle with the best of them. Store owner says: \u201cTwenty dollars\u201d. I say: \u201cTwelve dollars\u201d. He says: \u201cBest price \u2013 Eighteen dollars!\u201d I start to walk away, and he says: \u201cFor you, \u201cFifteen dollars\u201d! I say:…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25158,25159,25160,25157],"tags":[5656,25148,25143,25146,1210,1769,14420,25147,25145,25153,373,25156,40,25152,25149,25141,25142,25139,25155,25150,25154,25151],"class_list":["post-17033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bartering","category-haggling","category-lets-make-a-deal","category-negotiation","tag-abraham","tag-ask-and-you-shall-receive","tag-asking-price","tag-asking-rewarded","tag-blog","tag-christian","tag-contract","tag-everyone-who-asks-receivees","tag-final-offer","tag-haggling","tag-his-ways-are-higher","tag-immense-love-of-god","tag-inspiration","tag-lets-make-a-deal","tag-luke-1110","tag-negotiate","tag-negotiating","tag-negotiating-skills","tag-omnipotence","tag-schmmozing","tag-sodom","tag-wining-and-dining"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17033"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17041,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17033\/revisions\/17041"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}