“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3
James just finished talking a little about what causes fights and quarrels. It all boils down to not getting what you desire from someone else. One of the greatest questions many people have about God is why they didn’t get what they asked God for. After all it tells us in the Bible to ask and you shall receive. James now points out the very simple reason why…wrong motives.
Think back on all the different things you have asked God for over just this year alone. How many of those things were for yourself personally? How many of those things were for someone personally connected to you: i.e. family, close friends? Most of the time these are for personal selfish reasons. Think about it when a loved one is dying from a sickness, you pray for their healing. That is understandable, but may not be what God wants. God may want that person to die, because if he lives there may be a worse sickness or pain coming. In death, if one believes in Jesus, he will receive a perfect body and health. Only those who are left behind feel any pain from their loss. This is where the selfishness can come into play.
Often people pray to God for things that they desire without asking God what His desire is in that situation. Remember Jesus did not do or say anything that He did not see His Father doing or saying. When you are faced with difficult situation the first thing to do is seek God’s will in it. As in the Lord’s Prayer: ask that His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. You may ask for your desires, but be willing to submit to His desires in the end. This will remove the reason for fighting, discouragement and all coveting.
I pray that today God will help you to see His will in the situations in your life; that you be willing to submit to His desires; that God will help you to have the correct motives in all your desires; and that God will build you in your faith and walk with Him.
Sounds like a good reason not to ask at all. God does what he wants, and won’t tell you what to ask for except “thy will be done”. Prayer in supplication then is only to be done when blessing your enemies, and any other good thing that will make your life miserable, because there is no sort of evil pleasure of the flesh to be attained in their wellbeing or persecution.
Yes we are to pray blessings for our enemies, but Jesus also told us to ask the Father for what we need. Those can be personal needs or needs of others. He also said that the Father only gives good gifts. It is a matter of how we perceive what God gives us. Too often we see this side of the situation, but not seeing the final end purpose in light of eternity.
Praying for anything that makes your life miserable is of the devil. God does not want to make your life miserable. Jesus came to give life, abundant life–that is not a miserable life. It may be one filled with pain and suffering, but it is also filled with hope and purpose.
Thank you for reading and the comment. I hope you understand what I am saying. Have a blessed day in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.