James 4:2 isa very popular scripture to quote – especially when you are praying and believing God for something in your,ifs. Jesus instructs us to ask in many places in Scripture, so it make sense that if you don’t have something, it could be because you didn’t ask for it.
Does this mean that God will give us whatever we ask for? It that what James really means here… or is there more to the story? Well, there is; and that’s what we are going to look into.
Look at James 4:1-3
What causes fights and quarrels among? Don’t they comes from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
James 4:1-3
Is James really talking to believers here? I know it’s hard to believe, because he mentions words like fights, quarrels, kill, and covet. Yet he is talking about believers. More importantly, he is giving us a great reminder of the proper attitude we need to have when it comes to praying for something. It’s like James is giving us a litmus test to bring with us when we pray.
What Are You Asking? A Look At Motives
Look closely at having not because of asking not reveals that the problem is not really in the asking. The problem is in the reason why you are asking.
James identifies some of these wrong motives, but the ultimate desire that drives all the others is the burning desire to get something you do not have. This is known as coveting. To covet is to be jealous of something that someone else has, or to possess a strong eagerness to get something that does not belong to you.
How do you know if your are experiencing this emotion? One way is to think about how you feel when you see others around you blessed and it seems like God is passing you by. Do you rejoice in the blessing of others or do you despise them? When someone shares about how God blessed them, do you feel the need to try and trump their blessing with one of your own?
When someone gets a new job, new car, or any myriad of material blessings… do you find yourself being excited for them, or envious of them instead? If you do, then be careful; because of the ‘covet monster’ could be stirring inside you. So the next time someone shares what God is doing in there lives, rejoice with them. The Bible says we should rejoice with those who rejoice {Romans 12:15}.
The Negative Power Of Coveting
This type of emotion is not only unhealthy, it is a catalyst that leads to fights, quarrels, and yes even murder. Yes James is talking about believers. The striking thing about this desire is that it comes from within you. This is a reminder of how deceitful the human heart is and the strong pull our sinful nature can have over you if we let it get out of control.
When James reminds us in James 4:3 that we have not because we ask not, realize it’s a good thing and that God is doing you a favor. In other words, thank God for this next verse:
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, they you may spend what you get on your pleasures
James 4:3
God in His great wisdom and live, chooses not to answer prayers that are pursued with wrong motives. Can you imagine how we would be if God answered our prayers that were coming from our selfish motives? We would all be a mess.
What God is reminding us through James is that while, yes, asking matters and faith matters even more.
The Problem Of Misplaced Desires
Another problem here is the object of your desires, or things that bring you pleasure. It would be one thing if we were desiring to be more like Christ or more filled with the Holy Spirit, those desires are not only more beneficial to you but also to others. The desire James refers to only beneficial o you. They are rooted in selfishness. You want what you want and you want it now. Is there any wonder God would not answer this type of prayer?
The other problem these misplaced desires create is fights and quarrels. It’s really is no shock that selfish desires result in fights and quarrels, because when you want only what you want…what else do you expect to happen? That’s why Paul warns us:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each one of you to the interests of the others.
Philippians 2:3-4
Imagine if this was the motivation behind your prayers? These are the types of prayers God Ives to answer.
From Pity to Praise 