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Our Daily Needs Jul 29 2010
"You ask and you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures." - James 4:3
A man was late for a job interview because he couldn't find any place to park. As he circled the block one more time, he cried out, "Please God. This interview is so important. If you will provide a parking space, I'll be on the front row of the church every week!" Just as he spoke those words, a space opened right in front of him. "Oh, never mind," he said. "I found one."
Perhaps this man exemplifies the extent of many of our prayer lives. But after all, some may say, The Lord's Prayer does tell us to pray for our daily needs. Yet one of the ways prayer can disappoint us is when we confuse needs and wants. We can get so wrapped up in praying for our wants that we begin to see God as somebody we can use to get what we want! And that's a terrible misunderstanding of God.
Is God going to give you everything you ask for? Absolutely not! Loving parents don't give their children everything they see in a toy store, and likewise God is not some genie saying, "Your wish is my command." James 4:3 says, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
God wants us to seek His will so we can learn to understand our needs versus our wants. When we do, we can knock on the door of heaven and see God pour forth blessings to meet the needs of our lives.
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6 Comments
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Yes, report it NevermindI believe what you wrote; however, I think the problem comes in with understanding what Jesus said in both Matthew and John.
Matthew 21:22
And ALL things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
2.John 16:24
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
Jesus Christ spoke that we were to ask ALL things in His name - not some, not a little, he put absolutely no limitation on it. So while I know you can't pray certain things, or ask certain things, these scriptures make it a little confusing...
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Yes, report it NevermindI totally agree with today's devotion. I think sometimes we try to use God as a genie. While we should be in constant prayer, I think we do need to remember that not all things are for our ultimate and long term good. Just like the man in the devotion we do not always understand that He is answering our prayers. So many times when I was younger I prayed for things that I thought was best for me and just couldn't for the life of me understand why certain things I prayed for and in my mind just had to be His will was not getting answered MY way. It's only looking in hindsight that I see that the biggest prayers that He answered for me were the ones that He answered NO. I just thank and praise Him that in those times that He did not give me what I was so sure was best for me because they would definitely not have been. We do need to remember that He sees the full picture so that when we do ask for something like a particular job or person to love us etc. buthat we also should ask that we receive it only if is His will for us and our ultimate long term good and remember that often His timing is not our timing and that sometimes His answer is to wait. It's hard to do, but we don't always know at the time what is best for all involved in the long run, but He does!
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Yes, report it Nevermind"and just couldn't for the life of me understand why certain things I prayed for and in my mind just had to be His will was not getting answered MY way."
If it's his will, and he's going to do what he wants anyhow, why in the heck bother praying in the first place? Doesn't it seem a little odd? Since there is a "devine plan", and you can't change it, so couldn't you just skip the praying part and go right to his will?
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Yes, report it NevermindThe Bible tells us to pray and God does do things when we pray that He doesn't if we don't pray. We pray in obedience and to also just have a closer relationship to Him. I praise Him for the gift of being able to grow closer to Him in prayer.
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Yes, report it NevermindSo then there isn't a master devine plan. He's making it up on the fly.
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Yes, report it NevermindWe read in the Scripture that we are to trust in the Lord with all our heart, lean not to our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct our paths. Also we are to pray without ceasing. Our prayer does not change what God has ordained in our lives, but it does draw us closer to Him and to other believers. As we walk closely with the Lord our mind is renewed in His truths and we are developing the mind of Christ. So when we pray it is in the will of God because we realize He directs us. And to anticipate distortion in future comments we are not robots, but His workmanship created in Christ Jesus before the world began. See Ephesians 2:9-10. I am so thankful that God is totally sovereign, because that gives me such rest knowing that He will lead my steps to minister for Him and give Him the glory.