James 4:2-3
You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Dream for a moment. If you could have anything in the world, what would you choose? A beautiful large home; a yacht; a luxurious holiday; perfect health; world peace? Read on its own, James 4:2 suggests that we just need to ask God and we will get it, but verse 3 makes it clear that we need to ask with the right motive. That means God loves us so much that He doesn’t necessarily give us what we say we want.
Imagine for a moment that we did get whatever our selfish desires demanded. Everything would happen in exactly the way we wanted, and at precisely the time that we demanded it. For a brief moment, it sounds like the perfect world. We would be in absolute control. However, the Bible has a technical word to describe such a place – it’s called hell. It’s the place where God is not. Our selfish desires have pushed Him out. What James is telling us is that God, our gracious loving Father, has a better plan.
The conclusion is that we need to ask, and keep asking, but ensure that we are asking for the right things in the right way. We need to tune our thinking into God’s thinking so that all we ask for will be a blessing.
Question
What are you asking God for today?
Prayer
Lord God our Father, I worship You because You love me perfectly and delight to give me the best gifts. Amen

Released on 28 Sep 2026