948) There are over 100 verses in the Bible where God admonishes us to ask him for things. Matthew 7:7 says, Ask and it will be given to you. Jeremiah 33:3 says, Call unto me and I will answer you. 1 John 3:22 says, And whatever we ask, we receive from him. These verses (and many others) seem to indicate that all one has to do is ask God and whatever it is, that person will get, but I don’t think it’s as simple as that.

There are just as many verses that clarify that we can ask God for anything, but God decides whether to give them to us or not. James 4:3 says, You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly. James 1:5 says, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

In Acts 3:1-10, we find a man who was born crippled. These verses say that friends carried him to the temple every day so he could ask for money. That day, Peter and John see him and he asks God’s representatives for money and Peter tells him, no. Instead, he heals the man with God’s power. The man was so excited, he was laughing and jumping around.

It’s interesting that this man only asked for money. If God had only given him what he asked for, he would have missed out on being made whole. Sometimes, when we ask God for things, he gives it to us, but other times, when he doesn’t, it’s because he’s got something better for us. It takes faith to believe that God answers our prayers in ways that are best for us. Don’t settle for less than the best by insisting you need exactly what you ask for.