GODLY INTENTION
James 4:3 (NKJV)
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
We all ask God for something.We have wants, needs and desires that we bring before Him. Sometimes we get exactly what we asked for. Other times we get something close to what we asked for. And yet, other times we don’t get anything. In fact, sometimes we wonder if God is even hearing us at all.Sometimes there is no clear-cut explanation for this. We wonder why we’re not getting what we asked for. We wait. We pray some more. But still no answer.
Many times when we ask God for something, we ask with a motive. Human nature can be very slick, and sometimes we ask for something under the guise of “using it for the kingdom of God”. But in reality, we have selfish motives.
We should be thankful that God sees our motives for what they are! Despite the fact that we get our feelings hurt when we don’t get what we want, it’s usually a good thing when God sees fit not to answer our selfish requests. It’s for our own good.
If we all take a look back on our lives, it would be pretty safe to say that every single one of us can recall times when we got something we wanted, only to find out later on that it ultimately hurt us instead of helping us.
So if we’re not getting what we’re asking God for, let’s be honest and ask Him to show us if maybe we’re asking amiss. The truth can hurt sometimes, but it’s the truth that sets us free.