You Should Probably Ask God

“Yet you don’t have what you want because you do not ask God for it.” (James 4:2)

Have you ever thought about the lack we have in this life and wondered, does God really want me to live this way?

I have been reflecting recently about how infrequently I have been moved to prayer for the everyday, or “manageable” things in life like the common cold, a disagreement with a friend, a friend’s baby who isn’t wanting to eat solid food yet, a baby who isn’t sleeping at night, or my inability to sleep at night.

Why don’t I pray? Why don’t I ask for prayer? It is as though I am resolved to live life on my own and have developed a filter to protect God from my problems. I ask myself, Why should I go to God with the issues facing me and the people around me? I can manage this on my own. Sure it might cause me stress and time, but I can do it. I am resigned to my fate.

What would be the worst thing that could happen if I asked God for something? He could decide to answer me with a “no” and tell me why. How is that any worse than if I had not asked him? In asking, I am in such a better place because it causes me to be more aware of who God is, and confident that he is giving me strength to face the situation.

Do I really believe God desires to restore all things? Do I really believe God wants to reveal his love to us and draw near to us? I realized I wasn’t believing God really cares about little things or the things I was asking about. He does! This has been my biggest revelation.

My niece has been a great training ground for this. My sister shares things like “Selah won’t sleep at night.” So I get to ask God to bring sleep to Selah from across the country. It has been really cool to hear how prayers have been answered for things like sleep, willingness to eat, and teething pain to subside.

Friends recently shared their concern that their son wasn’t eating solid foods yet. So I prayed, and the next day he started eating. Yes, at some point this child would eventually grow to eat solid foods. But does God not care even more than that child’s parents about the health of this child? Wouldn’t God want him to be healthy now?

My sister was visiting recently from BC and the woman she was staying with was coming down with some sickness. Instead of just expressing concern, we prayed for her. She later told us she was better the next day and attributed it to God. She felt loved by God in this because we asked for God to be present and heal her.

The stories I have shared are examples of God supernaturally showing up. We ask and he restores. I have also found that God responds by giving strategies and wisdom. When we ask for things, it is so important to remember we are asking a God who is present with us and speaks. We are not asking a distant deity for help, but God, who came to us in the form of a man (Jesus), was crucified, raised to life, and invites us to follow. As we ask, we should listen.

I am learning things are often not going right because we are not asking God to right them. He is aware of the need, but waiting on our prayers to act. Why are we resigned to live apart from God? Why do we default to “I will do this on my own”, or with what people have created? Where can you invite God in?

I love that we all serve the same God. The stories I share here are about who our God is. He wants to reveal himself in your life too. As you look for ways to pray for the “little things” in your week, leave a comment with stories of how God shows up.