PRAYING AMISS
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But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Man’s deepest desires are never satisfied apart from God.
A person must trust and call upon God in order to have desires fulfilled: “Ye have not, because ye ask not.”
There are three reasons why trusting and calling upon God are necessary for these desires to be fulfilled.
Man’s deepest and most restless craving is spiritual.
God has made man a spiritual being, a being who is restless until his spirit is at peace with God. Many may deny, ignore, neglect and reject this fact; nevertheless, the denial of truth does not do away with the truth.
God has made man a spiritual being, a being with a soul that craves for spiritual satisfaction:
=> Man craves for God, for the fellowship and communion, the care and security of His presence. => Man craves for life, for life that is both abundant and eternal.
=> Man craves for a perfect world. Man desires these things; deep down within his soul he desires for spiritual satisfaction, and his spirit is restless—ever craving for more and more—until the spirit is satisfied with the knowledge of these things.
Man is not able to control his desires, not completely and not always.
Man must have the presence and power of God to control all his lusts and desires.
No matter what man may think and claim, history is clear evidence of the uncontrolled desires of men.
We must trust God and call upon God.
We must consult with God about our desires and wants...
* talk with Him
*ask His opinion
*ask His will ask if the desire is good or bad ask if the need is a true need or simply the lust for pleasure or gratification
We must learn to commune and fellowship with God—to walk in Him, live and move in Him, seeking and asking His opinion, will, and help every step of every day.
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
ILLUSTRATION:
When we foolishly try to fulfill our desires in our own way, we are not trusting God.
God is willing and certainly able to meet every need we have.
But we must trust His plan—we must trust Him.
A man was once being conducted by a guide over a dangerous Alpine trail. At length they came to a place where a great rock jutted out over the [cliff], leaving only the fragment of a pathway. The guide laid hold on the rock with one hand and put his other hand down on what was left of the trail, the hand extending out over the abyss. He told the other man to step on his hand and forearm and thus pass around the rock in safety. The man hesitated and was afraid; but the guide said, “Do not fear to stand on my hand. That hand has never yet lost a man.” God will always provide a way out of danger. He only expects us to trust Him to provide—and in His way.
PRAYING AMISS: PRAYING WITH THE WRONG MOTIVE
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
What does it mean to pray amiss?
What is a wrong prayer?
Scripture tells us, and this is the reason our prayers are so often not answered: we ask for things so that we can gratify our lust and pleasure.
We ask for the wrong reasons, with the wrong motives.
We seek God’s blessings so that we can have more comfort, enjoyment, better food and clothes, and be accepted and recognized more.
What is the right motive for prayer?
How can we pray and know that God will give the desires of our heart?
By asking for the glory of God.
When a person wants something from God, he must want it so that he can glorify God.
We must always remember that what God is after is communion and fellowship with us, for us to draw closer and closer to Him, learning more and more about Him and worshiping and serving Him more and more.
This is the way God is glorified, by our walking closely to Him and honoring and praising His name.
Therefore, if we want anything from God, we must want it so that we can glorify Him—so that we can draw closer to Him and make Him better known to others.
1. If a person wants health, life, strength, or a strong testimony, it must be so that he can glorify God.
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
2. If a person wants to bear fruit in his life and work, or in his church and upon his land, it must be so that he can glorify God.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
3. If a person wants the basic necessities of life—food, clothing, and shelter, or purpose, meaning, and significance, or assurance, confidence, and security—or if he wants more position, authority, or money, it must be so that he can glorify God and the Lord Jesus Christ in his life and testimony.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
ILLUSTRATION:
One day a lady was giving her little nephew a lesson. He was generally a good, attentive child, but on this occasion he could not fix his mind on his work. Suddenly he said, “Auntie, may I kneel down and ask God to help me to find my marble?” His aunt having given her consent, the little boy knelt by his chair, closed his eyes, and prayed silently. Then he rose and went on with his lesson contentedly. …The next day, the lady said, “Well, dear, have you found your marble?” “No, Auntie,” was the reply, “but God has made me not want to.”
