What Do You Want?
60Most of us don’t know what we want.
Most of us can’t articulate what we want. We think we want one thing, when actually we want something else. When we go to the department store and the clerk asks, "May I help you." We say, “We are just looking.” At the restaurant when the waiter comes to take our order, we say, “I haven’t made up my mind yet; may I have a little more time to think about what I want?” We test drive several cars on the lot, and still don’t make up our minds until someone else has bought the car we thought we wanted. Even when we pray we don't say exactly what we want, We default to saying, “Bless me God, bless me . . .” But what have you really asked for? “What do you want?”
One reason you are not getting what you want is because you are not asking for what you want. Throughout the Bible we see that people asked for and got what they wanted. We can do the same.
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You ask for what you want in a round about way.
Money is the first thing most people pray for. Money is not what you should pray for. Money is not the primary thing you want. Pray directly for what you want and skip the round about prayer. Pray for what you really want. Who knows, someone might give you what you want without your having to pay for it. What exactly do you want?
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HANNAH (1 Samuel 1:1-20)
Hannah knew exactly what she wanted, and she didn't hestitate to pray for what she wanted. She prayed for a male child. She didn't just pray for a child. She was specific. She prayed for a male child because at that time it was a disgrace for a woman to be barren and not have a son. Because Hannah knew what she wanted, she prayed for a son and her son, Samuel was born.
JOSHUA (Joshua 10:12-14)
Joshua was fighting a battle and it was beginning to get dark. Joshua was very specific in his prayer. He prayed to God to allow him to finish the battle before it got dark. The sun stood still until Joshua won the battle. The Bible says, "On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day." Joshua was granted his request because he was specific. He prayed for exactly what he wanted.
BLIND BARTIMAEUS (Mark 10:46-52)
Blind Bartimaeus was a beggar and could have asked Jesus for anything when Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?" Blind Bartimaeus did not ask for money to have an eye operation. He didn't ask for money so he could buy the best clothes or buy food. Blind Bartimaeus was very specific. He responded to Jesus' question by saying, “I want my sight.” And Bartimaeus received exactly what he asked for . . . his sight!
LIFE APPLICATION FOR US
What is the life application for us? Like Hannah and Joshua in the Old Testament, let's be specific. Let's ask God for what we want. Like Bartimaeus in the New Testament, let's be specific. Let's ask for what we want without doing so in a round about way or beating around the bush.
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Dr. Wendy: I have no problem being specific when I make a request to God. I don't think I have ever prayed for money (except for here on HubPages... smile). I pray for the thing I want because if I get the money I will spend the money anyway. Often I make my request known because God could use someone to bless me without me needing the money after all.
revmjm: It is always best to be direct with God for what we sincerely think we need. But we have to also keep in mind that what we think we need, is not necessarily what God knows we need. May His will be my will always.
Dave, you are absolutely correct. What we think we want sometimes is not what we need. God knows what is best for us.
You know I tell my 5th and 6th graders that I teach in Sunday school that God is our "Heavenly Daddy" and he loves us more than our earthly daddys. He knows what we want and he is waiting for us to trust him enough to ask him for what we really want. When we do ask him for exactly what we want, he sometimes is more willing for us to have it because we trusted him and sought after that special father, child relationship with him.
Great hub again!!!
Dian'swords4u: I feel that sometimes we don't get what we want because we don't ask specifically for what we want. James says, we don't ask and when we do ask we ask amiss. I try to be careful not to beat around the bush but to come right out and articulate to God what I want.
Dr. Wendy 15 months ago
Something else this made me think of is people who don't want to bother God with the little things. It is no bother to God. He wants us to tell Him what we want or need. He knows it already, it isn't that He needs us to tell Him. He wants a relationship with us... And that fact is so awesome and so beyond my comprehension. We matter to Him!