"You do not have because you do not ask God." (James 4:2)
Consider Ephesians 3:20, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us." If He can do more than we can ask or imagine, why is it that we don't ask?
I believe the reason is that we either don't really believe what He says about Himself or simply that we find it easier to be self-sufficient rather than God-sufficient. We turn to God only when we can't provide for ourselves in some way. When that happens our requests are more like demands, borne from the seed of our own limited imagination. When business does not come in like I expect it, how do I pray? When my wife is angry with me, what do I ask for? When my boss is unappreciative, or worse, hostile, do I occupy myself with prayers for their well-being?
Believing in the power of God to work through us to accomplish even more than we can imagine liberates us from the spirit of demandingness, Instead, we become expectant. We know that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Heb 6:11) and that He will do it in ways we cannot conceive. Living merely by our own conceptions about our future keeps us in a attitude of demandingness.
It's very likely you know some demanding people. The world is full of them. They're no fun to be around. Demanding people befriend you if you serve them and quickly withdraw or become angry when you don't. They are driven by what they think they need at the time.
Expectant people are more rare. Like demanding people, they are not absent of desire. But their desires are subordinated to the truth that God is likely working on something through them that's even bigger than they could imagine. That knowledge moves them into action, in prayerful dependency, and an attitude of discovery. Seeking the Lord, they rely on the incomprehensible and creative imagination of God to accomplish His purposes even though a longtime desire may remain unmet.
Daily all of us choose to live in either a spirit demandingness or of expectancy. Today we can choose to ask God with a dependence on His abounding love and creativity - asking that He make His desires our desires. The lyrics of a song from Twila Paris asks the question, "Could it be that He is only waiting there to see if I will learn to love the dreams that He has dreamed for me?" That's a good question and one worth praying for!
I believe the reason is that we either don't really believe what He says about Himself or simply that we find it easier to be self-sufficient rather than God-sufficient. We turn to God only when we can't provide for ourselves in some way. When that happens our requests are more like demands, borne from the seed of our own limited imagination. When business does not come in like I expect it, how do I pray? When my wife is angry with me, what do I ask for? When my boss is unappreciative, or worse, hostile, do I occupy myself with prayers for their well-being?
Believing in the power of God to work through us to accomplish even more than we can imagine liberates us from the spirit of demandingness, Instead, we become expectant. We know that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Heb 6:11) and that He will do it in ways we cannot conceive. Living merely by our own conceptions about our future keeps us in a attitude of demandingness.
It's very likely you know some demanding people. The world is full of them. They're no fun to be around. Demanding people befriend you if you serve them and quickly withdraw or become angry when you don't. They are driven by what they think they need at the time.
Expectant people are more rare. Like demanding people, they are not absent of desire. But their desires are subordinated to the truth that God is likely working on something through them that's even bigger than they could imagine. That knowledge moves them into action, in prayerful dependency, and an attitude of discovery. Seeking the Lord, they rely on the incomprehensible and creative imagination of God to accomplish His purposes even though a longtime desire may remain unmet.
Daily all of us choose to live in either a spirit demandingness or of expectancy. Today we can choose to ask God with a dependence on His abounding love and creativity - asking that He make His desires our desires. The lyrics of a song from Twila Paris asks the question, "Could it be that He is only waiting there to see if I will learn to love the dreams that He has dreamed for me?" That's a good question and one worth praying for!
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