You Have Not Because You Ask Not

"You do not have because you do not ask God" James 4:2

If the Lord knows what I need even before I do, then why does He want me to ask?

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

I was thinking about this in terms of my own children. Both of our boys are very young, and my husband and I know what they need but we still teach them to come to us and ask us for things. At this stage in their young lives, they depend on us to provide, protect, guide and teach them. We want them to grow up to be independent and confident but we also want them to know where to go to get their needs met. We always want them to come to us first.

"He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44

The enemy wants us to believe that we can meet our own needs or that we can get our needs met through material things, relationships, social media or our careers. He plants seeds in different ways that will grow like weeds and suffocate our spirit if we don't understand the truth and walk in it.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1

Our relationship with the Lord is very similar to that of a child and parent, the difference is, we don't grow out of this stage of dependence upon Him. Through His word, He teaches us that we are to come to Him as His children throughout our entire life. He wants us to solely rely on Him for all of our needs regardless of what stage of life we are in.

"My help and glory are in God—granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—So trust him absolutely, people;lay your lives on the line for him. God is a safe place to be." Psalm 62:7-8

By praying and asking Him to provide, I am inviting Him into my heart and into my circumstances. My worry decreases as my trust in Him increases. By opening up and sharing with God what I need in fellowship, this allows me to release my burdens and lay them at His feet.

"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Matthew 6:8

He is my Father and He already knows what I need, but just as I teach my own children, He wants me to learn to come to Him first. By doing so, this ensures that I am receiving God's best for my life and that I am always walking in the will of my Father. This is true for all of God's children.

With Love,

Stacey