James 4:2 …Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
A common saying today is “use it or lose it!” Whatever gifting or ability you might have, you must use it in order for it to grow and flourish. However, if you do not use it, it remains undeveloped and when that day arrives where you need it the most, it’s gone.
It’s exactly the same when it comes to spiritual matters such as faith, wisdom, love… they grow with use. If you want faith, you must step out in faith and not rely upon your intellect, wealth or senses. Put your faith to work through faithful prayer and acting in faith, and it will grow stronger day by day.
If you dare today to trust God for something small and ordinary, next week or next year you will be able to trust Him for answers bordering on the miraculous.
Faith and prayer go hand in hand.
James says “…you do not have because you do not ask”.
This is talking as much about faith as it is prayer. James is saying we have, because we asked, or we have not because we have not asked.
Prayer is a spiritual ask and it grows with use.
If we do not have, it doesn’t take much wisdom to discover one’s next step. Pray. And pray again, and again, and again and keep on praying until you have. This is the wisdom revealed in the parable of the persistent woman (Luke 18). She knew what belonged to her and that she had been unjustly treated. So, she was not going to stop going to that judge until she got what belonged to her.
The prayer of faith knows what belongs to you. You might be believing for a child, a spouse, a job, a bonus, your health. The persistent woman never complained nor carried a defeated attitude. Every day she acted with faith, with a persistent, positive attitude.
She didn’t hinder her prayers by creating pre-conditions – it must be done in such and such a time or in this way. We don’t know how long it took for that judge to change his mind. It just says in Luke 18:4 “For some time he refused”. That could be a few months or a few years. But it says, “But finally…”. You need to continue in prayer until you get your “but finally”.
If you have been praying for months, even years, your “but finally” is closer than what it was yesterday. Some of my “but finally’s” have come in a few days, others a few years, some took a few decades and some “but finally’s” that are still on their way – I don’t know how far away they are and I don’t really care. All I know is they will get here one day.
Jesus states the point that if an unjust judge delivers to this woman, how much more your Heavenly Father who loves you. He knows what you need and the same way He provided for Abraham, He will provide for you. Persist with patience.
If you can live like this, like the persistent woman did and continue with a steadfastness in faith and prayer – everything you desire and ask for will eventually, “but finally”, arrive!