As I was reading the verse of the day in my Holy Bible last night, I was presented with the verse, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." -James 4:3
Intrigued by what exactly that could mean, I proceeded to compare it to the NIV version: "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
I was convicted by this. This is from the same Bible that says, "You do not have because you do not ask God." -James 4:2
What is so profound about James 4:3 is that it emphasizes the significance of the spirit in which we ask. It reminds us that the why behind a request is every bit as significant as the request itself. How foolish we humans can often become in our forgetfulness of God's omnipresence. We drift through life thinking that we can pray without evaluating our motives behind those prayers. Often times, I believe that we are not even aware of our own spiritual state, nor are we living a life founded on Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
We must remember that God looks at the inner man, and what is hidden from the human eye is not hidden from the Lord -- even though we can not physically see Him.
This verse of the day reminded me that it is essential to take a step back and assess the reason behind my requests. Is it to get something out of the Lord and use Him as a mere resource for my desires? Am I looking to God to use Him or to honor Him and align His will with my own? It is only when God becomes our everything, that we seek to have the type of prayers that are obedient to His righteousness. It is only when we look first to the kingdom of God, that everything else is added. Our desires must be in obedience to His Word.
If He knows everything that we ask before we say a word, why would He give us something that would actually be to our detriment? If He knows that we are only asking for something in order to spend it on worldly wishes, selfish means, self-gratification, and temporal indulgences, wouldn't He rather protect our souls than grant us our requests? God looks at the heart.
This reminds me of the verse: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." -Phil. 4:6-7
Our Heavenly Father wants us to surrender our anxieties with hearts of gratitude as we share our burdensome requests with Him. He desires for us to live the lives of freedom that Jesus' death claimed for us. He doesn't want to cooperate with us in our enslavement after we have already been liberated. This life is far too fleeting in light of the eternal decisions that we make here.
Therefore, let us:
1) Guard our hearts
2) Desire God for Who He is, rather than what He can give to us
3) Keep our eyes heavenward, and our spirits reminded of what that means for our requests, thought-life, actions, and choice of words
4) Ask, but first assess the why behind the ask
5) Be content with the Lord, and see every good thing besides as an added blessing. There are many fortunes, but He is the only necessary one
6) Remember God's omnipresence. There is nothing hidden from our Creator.
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