ASK, THEN LISTEN
James 4:3
You do not have because you do not ask 3. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
When I read this Scripture, it immediately reminded me of another one in Matthew. I love how all of God's Word connects. In Matthew 7, it says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find."
Obviously, the big difference in our James chapter today is that it goes on to say, "When you ask, you do not receive." This isn't God contradicting himself; James is giving us insight into why we may not always receive what we ask for from the Lord, because, well, we may not always be asking with the best intentions. Sometimes I think we don't even realize we're doing so; we just don't have the full picture of our lives as God does, so the things we ask may just not be in His plans or his timing.
Way before I arrived at The Ark Church, after college, I was on a completely different path. I wanted to be on Disney World's creative team, and Lord knows I tried hard to make that happen. Long story short, I had tryout after tryout, and after many rejections and a mixture of Covid-19 shutting down the industry, I fell into a deep depression. Fast forward a year, as I drew closer to God, He pulled me out of that depression, and I found myself with another opportunity to be at Disney again, and this time, I did something I hadn't done before.
I asked God to bless me with an opportunity there. I said, "Lord, this time I am going to do this with you by my side." I was literally praying everywhere I went in Orlando, Florida. At the gas stations I could see myself going to, I prayed, driving by potential apartments. I even prayed waiting in line for the ride, "It's a Small World After All." If you've been there, you'll know that's pretty difficult.
Well, at the end of that trip and after all those prayers, I stopped outside of the park, and I don't know what came over me, but I just asked God, "Is this even what you want for me?"
Lord as my witness, right then, my phone in my pocket began to ring, and it was Uncle Tony telling me about a whole different opportunity here at The Ark Church that needed some creative people. When Tony finished speaking, right there, I heard the Lord say: "Mijo, that's where I want you, not here in Disney." Almost 6 years later, here I am doing what I love, with even more blessings than I could've imagined, and it's because this was God's way. Those other desires are long gone, and I wouldn't change a thing.
Application:
I think the Lord loves to hear His children when we pray and ask for his help and provision. Never be discouraged from asking God for things. But we have a God who loves us so much that I truly believe He will never put anything in our lives that would draw us away from Him. If we completely trust Him, we also need to be willing to listen when he tells us, "I hear you, but I know what's best for you, and I have something better."
Prayer:
Father, I trust you. Speak into my life and help me to have ears to listen, and a heart willing to receive. Even when I don't get it right, you know what's best for me.