Mark 11:24 This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—believe that you have received it and it will be yours. (The Passion Translation)

1 Kings 3:5  In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. (KJV)

Why do you go to God?

Have you ever asked a question to a superior, a spouse, or anyone else and they did not respond? Were they in the room with you? Were you texting back and forth, or did you email? No matter how you were communicating, did you wonder if they were listening to you or if they were ignoring you? It is wonderful to have a God who hears you and is listening to you. God gave you the liberty to ask Him whatever you want.

Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]. (Amplified Bible AMP)

Please don’t immediately jump to the conclusion He did not hear you or does not intend to respond to you, simply because you did not get what you wanted, when you wanted it, and the way you wanted it. The important thing to remember is: if you want to get what you have asked for, it must be what is according to the Lord’s will.

1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him. (Amplified Bible)

Though you can ask for what you want, God is not obligated to give you what you want. His word says He will supply your need. You may think you know what you need. You are in a situation; you’ve accessed it; and you determine what’s required to deal with it. You go to God in prayer to ask Him to fix your situation. Even though you say the words, “Have Your way in this situation”; you have an expectation. You want Him to give you what you have determined will fix the problem. You know He can; and you think He should do it your way. Do you have the correct heart posture?

James 4:3 And if you ask, you won’t receive it for you’re asking with corrupt motives, seeking only to fulfill your own selfish desires. (The Passion Translation TPT)

You should go to God because you know whether or not He gives you what you want; He loves you and is there to hear you. God was there before you got to this point in your life. There is no one who knows what you need better than the God who created you. As you go to Him, you give Him praise because He is Jehovah Shammah [ja-hō-va sha-ma] (The Lord is there).

Please agree with me as I pray:

Father God, I am thankful I come to You, knowing You hear me. You want me to come to You. I am Your child. Just like I would go to my Dad, as his child. Whatever I wanted, I asked for. He didn’t always give it to me, yet I always knew he was there, and he loved me. The feelings he has for me pale in comparison to those You have. You are much greater. Like my Dad, You don’t always give me what I ask for; You give me what I need. I repent for thinking I know what my needs are and how You should supply them. You have shown me, time and time again, if You had given me what I wanted, I would not have been able to handle it or I would have been in a bigger mess than I was in. I’m grateful You know what I need. Whatever the situation is; You are Jehovah Shammah. You were there before I got there. You knew how it would affect me. You knew I would come to You. I am grateful for Your presence in my life. Thank You for being there…

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Ask the Lord what He wants to say to you about today’s devotional and journal His response as described here.