You Do Not Have, Because You Do Not Ask

A poor but brilliant philosopher worked in the court of Alexander the Great. He requested an enormous sum, which would compare to $100,000 for us today, for the wedding of his daughter. Alexander the Great granted the request and told him to get the funds from the royal treasury. The treasurer was shocked and reluctant to disburse the money, so he sought confirmation. Alexander’s response was striking: “Give him the funds at once. This philosopher has done me a singular honor. By the largeness of his request, he shows that he has understood both my wealth and generosity.”

Do you honor your King by what you ask of Him?

What do your prayers reveal about what you really believe about Jesus? Is his grace without limit? Does his generosity know no bounds? Is he truly sovereign?

James points out at the end of James 4:2, “.... You do not have, because you do not ask.”

So much of our failure to ask is actually unbelief. We don’t believe God cares, or that God is able, or we doubt that God would be moved to hear from sinners like us. So we don’t bother to ask.

Or we do ask, but James warns in 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” We don’t receive what we ask because, in a sense at least, our ask is too small. It’s about momentary pleasures. Mudpies in a slum. The glory of the creature, rather than the creator.
 
Remember the generosity and unbounded fatherly love of our great God, and come boldly today. Not because you are worthy, but because He is gracious. He loves to give, he loves to bless, he loves to forgive. He is glorified by a faith that trusts Him to be who He says he is. So let’s trust him to be at work in our lives and in the world and to do it all in his perfect time.