Don’t Forget to Ask
James 4:2-3 – "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire
to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask
not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume
it upon your lusts."
A month or so ago I needed to get some cash, so I stopped at the drive-thru
window at our bank. As I counted my change, I realized that although it was
correct, I didn’t have the combination of bills that I needed. You see, I was
headed to get my hair done and I wanted to have exact change to tip my stylist.
At first I thought, "That’s okay. I just hope I can get change at the
shop." But then the Holy Spirit prompted me to change my mind. So I called
the teller and said, "I’m sorry I forgot to ask, but could I have a ten, a
five and five ones?" (I was specific.) The teller replied, "No
problem Mrs. Yon. Have a great weekend." It was just that simple. As I
drove away, the Holy Spirit brought this week’s tidbit text to my remembrance: "Ye
have not, because ye ask not." Immediately, I knew what He was telling me.
A few months earlier, the Lord had blessed us with a sofa, a love seat and
an ottoman. But for several weeks I had been wanting more furniture. Eddie knew
it; one of my sisters knew it. I think I had told everyone close to me except
the ONE who could provide it. Well, that soon changed because right then and
there in that car I thanked the Lord for reminding me of His Word, and I told
Him that I was sorry for not asking. Then I asked for that furniture, He said
yes, and within a week and a half it was sitting in our living room.
Later the Lord said to me, "Why wouldn’t you ask me, when I own
everything?" That’s definitely something to think about. We have wants and
desires, but we don’t receive them for one of the following reasons:
1. We aren’t asking at all.
2. We’re asking the wrong person.
3. We’re asking with the wrong motives.
The last reason is one we really need to examine. Sure, the Lord owns
everything. But He’s not going to give you something if it falls outside of His
will. For instance, He’s not going to give you someone else’s spouse. So don’t
even go there.
Lusts, fights and wars are all methods the world uses to try to get what it
wants (James 4:3). And all of these methods fail. But in John 15:7 Jesus said,
" If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye
will, and it shall be done unto you." At the bank, The Holy Spirit would
not have reminded me of James 4:2 if it were not already abiding (or deposited)
in my spirit. So it’s very important that we hide the Word of God in our
hearts. Evidently, the Lord wanted me to have those pieces of furniture just as
much as I wanted them. My will lined up with His. He just wanted me to ASK HIM.
You might say, "God knows everything, so why do I have to tell Him what
I need or want?" You’re right. Unlike the teller at my bank, God is a mind
reader. He knows exactly what you and I want. But there’s something intimate,
something personal, that transpires when we ask. I’ll give you an example.
Last Saturday as I was going for my morning walk, I started wondering what I
should fix for breakfast. Immediately the Lord placed a desire in me for
pancakes. When I returned home I asked Eddie what he wanted for breakfast. He
replied, "It doesn’t matter. Whatever you feel like fixing." (He
thought he would spare me the trouble—he’s so sweet.) But I wasn’t satisfied.
So I asked him to be specific. I even reminded him of James 4:2. He hesitated a
few seconds, but guess what his response was——pancakes!!!! As soon as he
said that my spirit welled up. I was so happy that what he wanted was the same
thing I wanted. Yes, I was on the case. I took off to the kitchen to make the
fluffiest Bisquick pancakes I’ve ever made. And believe me, my heart was filled
with joy as I did it. I was singing and humming the entire time. But why? 1.)
Because I knew that my desire, Eddie’s desire and the Lord’s desire were the
same, and 2.) Because I was giving my husband a desire of his heart—one that he
wanted badly enough to "verbalize." What if Eddie had waited until after
breakfast to say that I had fixed exactly what he wanted. I would have been
happy. But I would have been robbed of the joy I experienced in preparing
breakfast.
That’s how it is with our Heavenly Father. He wants to give us good gifts.
But he also wants to experience the joy that comes with giving. So don’t forget
to ask—-and be specific. Once you do, watch out!! He’ll get on the case and
prepare you something uhmm uhmm good—–from scratch!!!
