The Purpose of Your Prayers

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.

James 4:3 (NASB)

On his eighteenth birthday, a young man went to his father to ask for $200. His father asked what he intended to do with the money. Without hesitation, he replied that he wanted to have fun and party with his friends. His father wanted to know what kind of party he had in mind. He explained that he planned to go to a nightclub and spend the evening drinking, eating, and dancing with his friends. The father then declared: "If it were for a more serious celebration, I would have given it to you. But for what you’re describing, you won't get it." Furious, the young man returned to his room in tears.

What the young man didn't know was that his father had another surprise in store for him. However, because of his reaction, the father decided not to do anything for his birthday. Just like that young man, when we come before God to pray, we often fail to ask for things that bring Him glory or edify us. Instead, we seek to satisfy our own needs and passions—things that, more often than not, lead us away from His ways. That is why God sometimes chooses not to grant what we ask for. It is not because He does not hear us or love us, but because we focus a little too much on our own desires.

Have you ever spent hours, days, or even months praying for a specific thing without ever seeing an answer to your prayers? Some of you have experienced this. We have all gone through a period of persistent prayer for a particular request. God knows the desires of your heart and knows why you are praying. If He does not answer you, do not think He is uninterested in your request; rather, He is trying to keep you from making poor choices that could affect your relationship with Him. Sometimes, our desires do not align with God's. That is why, when you pray, instead of asking for what pleases you and satisfies your passions, ask God to grant you what pleases Him. This is the best way to present your prayers to Him.

May the grace and peace of God be with you.