If God loves me, and I follow his ways then I should be able to pray and ask for anything, right? Why does God seem to not hear my prayers for financial blessing?
"You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James: 4:3, NIV.
YOU ASK
Prayer is many things, and here the Apostle James refers to the prayer that is asking. The verse does not say it is wrong to ask for things. It even implies that asking for things from God is acceptable, Jesus said to ask God for our daily bread*. So asking for God to provide our material needs is God's directive to us.
DO NOT RECEIVE
Asking God for something does not guarantee that it will be given. The Bible offers guidelines for prayer, but does not teach God is a celestial Santa Clause who exists for our gratification; we can't give him a shopping list and expect him, like a genie, to grant all our wishes.
MOTIVES
God looks at the heart. This seems to be very important to God when it comes to His reason for blessing or denying blessing. Our hearts are deceptive, we might be thinking one thing but in the back of our mind is some seed of an idea that is selfish or vain.
SPEND
This is a key to the purpose of all blessings. God gives us blessings such as money or wealth or talent or some other blessing not so we can horde it, be entertained by it, or show it off. All blessing like money is to be used. Even saving money is to prepare it (and us) for the use of money at a time of greater opportunity or need.
PLEASURES
Pleasures are different than need. Pleasure is self-focused. Pleasure is consuming for its own sake. God may give us the gift of pleasurable experiences such as family, marriage, satisfaction in career, or service; but God does not give us blessings for the purpose of us consuming those blessings on our own pleasure. He gives us blessings so we may spend them on being a blessing to others in his name.
Examine your heart make sure your motives are pure and ask God to provide.
*Matthew 6:11-13 see verse 11.
"You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James: 4:3, NIV.
YOU ASK
Prayer is many things, and here the Apostle James refers to the prayer that is asking. The verse does not say it is wrong to ask for things. It even implies that asking for things from God is acceptable, Jesus said to ask God for our daily bread*. So asking for God to provide our material needs is God's directive to us.
DO NOT RECEIVE
Asking God for something does not guarantee that it will be given. The Bible offers guidelines for prayer, but does not teach God is a celestial Santa Clause who exists for our gratification; we can't give him a shopping list and expect him, like a genie, to grant all our wishes.
MOTIVES
God looks at the heart. This seems to be very important to God when it comes to His reason for blessing or denying blessing. Our hearts are deceptive, we might be thinking one thing but in the back of our mind is some seed of an idea that is selfish or vain.
SPEND
This is a key to the purpose of all blessings. God gives us blessings such as money or wealth or talent or some other blessing not so we can horde it, be entertained by it, or show it off. All blessing like money is to be used. Even saving money is to prepare it (and us) for the use of money at a time of greater opportunity or need.
PLEASURES
Pleasures are different than need. Pleasure is self-focused. Pleasure is consuming for its own sake. God may give us the gift of pleasurable experiences such as family, marriage, satisfaction in career, or service; but God does not give us blessings for the purpose of us consuming those blessings on our own pleasure. He gives us blessings so we may spend them on being a blessing to others in his name.
Examine your heart make sure your motives are pure and ask God to provide.
*Matthew 6:11-13 see verse 11.
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| Beyond These Dark Lands Are Edges of Joy Words of Comfort and Hope © By A.E. Dozat |
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