When I was a boy, I assumed my parents were poor because we had ten children in our family. Except for birthdays and Christmas, I seldom asked Mom or Dad for anything. I didn’t want to be a burden. My sister closest in age felt the same way. Neither of us wanted to inconvenience our parents, so we rarely asked for anything.
And you know what we got?
Except for birthdays and Christmas… not much!
Meanwhile, we watched our next-youngest brother ask for everything. And to our surprise, Dad gave him much of what he asked for.
Looking back, I realize something important:
He wasn’t more selfish — he simply had more faith in our parents’ willingness to provide. He believed they would help him, so he asked.
Many people today carry a quiet guilt about asking God to meet their needs. They wonder if He cares. They’re unsure if He wants to help. They lack faith in the depth of His love for every detail of their lives. Some question whether they should even bother asking at all.
Many Christians grew up in denominational churches where the Bible wasn’t taught — only opinions, traditions, and ideas not rooted in Scripture. I was taught that God was too busy with billions of people to care about my specific needs. I was told that asking God for anything was selfish or covetous.
Years later, as a Bible-reading Christian, I discovered the truth:
When you have needs and you don’t know where to turn, NOT seeking God for His supernatural help is the real problem.
James 4:2–3 (NIV) says:
“You want something but don’t get it… YOU DO NOT HAVE BECAUSE YOU DO NOT ASK GOD. You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
There is a difference between needs and lusts. And it takes time, maturity, and discernment to know the difference. But God teaches us. He helps us. He gave us His Holy Spirit so we could learn to discern truth from error, flesh from Spirit, and wisdom from impulse.
The truth becomes clear in:
Philippians 4:6 (NIV) — “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Your view of what God is willing to help you with might be far too small!
Many believers cannot imagine God caring about the detailed needs of their lives… but He does! We just read it — “in everything, ask.”
God cares deeply about souls being saved, yes — but He also cares about His children, every one of us, in the everyday challenges of this broken world. He is a perfect Father. And perfect fathers invite their children to ask.
That is why He teaches us to ask — in faith.
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) — “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Over the years, I’ve asked the Lord for many things — not out of greed, but because asking in faith pleases and honors Him. He desires our dependency. He wants our trust.
Think of all the crazy things little children ask for. As a parent, are you offended?
Are you angry when they ask for a cookie 30 minutes before dinner?
Of course not!
Why?
Because you know they will eventually learn. Discernment comes with time. Their asking is simply part of growing up.
We mature spiritually the same way. God is not offended when we ask.
He is honored.
And as we grow, He teaches us to ask according to His Word.
In the meantime, He says again:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything… present your requests to God.”
And He promises:
Psalm 84:11 (NLT) —
“For the LORD God is our sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
When you pray and don’t see immediate results, remember this:
It’s not because God isn’t working. Much of what He brings into our lives comes through people. God does not override people’s free will. He leads them, nudges them, and inspires them just as He inspires you to give and help others. Hopefully they respond. If they don’t, He looks for someone else.
Yes, He can do miracles — and He sometimes does!
But His primary method is working through people.
And He wants to teach you to be both a giver and a receiver. In fact, your receiving is often tied to your giving.
Luke 6:38 (NLT) —
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full — pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
Do you have a need today?
Ask — in faith, believing.
Let the Lord teach you.
Be patient and confident that no good thing will He withhold from you. Say it and believe it.
And if you can find something to give — to sow into someone else’s life — plant that seed.
God delights in those who trust Him enough to ask.
