Walking With Christ

Let’s talk about needs versus wants. The bible makes a clear distinction between the two.

One says: God is not a genie in a bottle that we can just ask for anything we want, but God will provide for all of our needs.
Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.(ESV)
Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.(ESV)

There ya have it. Needs are supplied but we shouldn’t want. That settles that.

The other says: No, it says we can ask for whatever we want if we only have enough faith.
Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.(ESV)
Psalm 20:4 May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans.(ESV)
Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.(ESV)

I’ve heard both sides of this argument. Both are a bit flawed and incomplete. Let’s look a bit deeper.

It’s obvious that God cares about our needs. There is a lot of verses that say just that. There are also a lot of verses that talk about our wants. Let’s look to Jesus for the first step to answering this one. What was His first miracle? Turning water into wine. There wasn’t any life on the line. There wasn’t any real chance of people getting saved by this miracle. This is obviously a want. Jesus answered a want as His first miracle. If Jesus obviously cared about the wants then why do we not get every want answered?

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.(ESV)
1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.(ESV)
John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.(ESV)

God hears every thought. He knows every desire. He knows our motivations better than we do. He knows when we are asking for things to be selfish. I, personally, believe that there are times when we ask for the right thing with the wrong motivation and don’t receive it because of the reason why we asked. The thing I often struggle with the most is being confident that I am asking for the right thing with the right reason. I regularly ask for God to show me my own motivations and give me His wisdom into what I should do. I regularly pray, quite possibly my most common prayer, for eyes to see the world as He does, ears to hear His voice and will, hands that only do His work, feet that only travel where His spirit leads, a tongue that only speaks His truth, and a heart that loves as He loves. This is so that I can see a world beyond myself. This helps me stay connected with His larger creation while still being able to see where I fit into it.