You have not because you ask not

Expectations. They can cause us a lot of grief if we do not make them known, or if they don’t match up to another persons expectations.

Lately, I seem to be in a bit of a frustrated place. And it seems every time I sit down to quiet my mind, God keeps putting one phrase in my mind, “you have not, because you ask not”.

I think often we assume that others around us can read our minds. They must know what we are thinking, right? It’s really easy to make the assumption that because we know what we want, that they should know too! And then, when they don’t, we walk around disappointed.

Isn’t it funny how we can do this same thing with God. For me, I know that He knows my heart and my very desires, sometimes better than I do. So I get lazy. Instead of asking for things or praying for things to be different, I just assume that God knows. And He does, but sometimes, we need to ask. Not because He doesn’t know what we need, because He does, but because it’s an exercise in trust and faith. It’s an exercise is relying on someone other than ourselves to meet our needs. It’s an exercise in humility, admitting that we can’t do it on our own and we need Him to provide for us.

When I have asked lately, I have been amazed at how quickly He meets my need. I am the kind of girl that asks for something once, and if I don’t instantly receive it, I assume He doesn’t care. But that is not true. The truth is, that when we ask for something and our heart is in the right place He will either answer with a “yes” or a “no, I have something better in mind!” or a “wait”.

It’s easy to walk around in a defeated state, assuming that if God really cared H would have already fixed it. But, have you asked? Have you asked once, and then given up? Maybe it’s time to ask again, and keep asking. Satan is banking on the fact that when you didn’t get what you wanted instantaneously, that you will stop asking. But don’t! Keep after it, be persistant in your prayers, and pray that He will renew a right spirit in you. If it is not in His will, He will let you know. But rest assured, that when you pray God’s will, it may not be an instant magic wand kind of answer, but it’s worth asking, keep asking, and He will answer according to His will.

James 4: 2-3 “…Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.”