Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. James 4:2 (NLT)
This morning I was reading in Oswald Chambers' devotional called My Utmost For His Highest. He said (I'm paraphrasing) that most of the time we don't ask God for anything. We spend a lot of time telling him and complaining but we don't ask.
I started thinking about this. I wondered how much I talked, how much I complained, how much I listened. Then my mind started wandering to my grandson. He is a toddler and has been talking more and more. One of the things I realized is that he isn't afraid to ask for things. Even though how he asks isn't always grammatically correct, he asks anyway.
Do you feed birds? (Do you want to feed the birds?)
Do you outside? (Do you want to go outside?)
Do you play downstairs? (Do you want to play downstairs?)
His wording isn't always correct but we understand what he wants and give him an answer. Sometimes, the answer is no; like when he asks to go outside in the middle of a thunder storm. He doesn't understand yet that this is dangerous. But do you know what? Just because we say "Not right now" that doesn't stop him from asking for other things.
Maybe this is what Scripture means when it says "You must become like little children." (Matthew 18:3). My grandson isn't afraid to ask. Even if he doesn't get the answer he wants, he keeps asking for things. It's because he trusts us and knows that we love him.
When was the last time you asked God for something? When you asked, did you think you had to phrase it just right? When was the last time that you trusted his answer even if he said "Not right now."?