You Do Not Have Because You Do Not Ask

“You do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it.” — James 4:2 (GNT)

“You do not have because you do not ask.” Sounds surprising, right? But it is the truth. Many people might argue, saying, “I have asked the Lord again and again, yet nothing has happened—so how is that my fault?” I understand that frustration, but the reality remains the same: you do not have because you do not ask.

Now, you might wonder, “But I have been asking!” The issue is that something may have been missing in your approach. Recently, when I revisited this verse, I took time to ponder over it, and the Spirit of the Lord revealed some important insights to me.

First, when people ask, they often do so without faith and conviction. It is not enough to simply say, “I have asked the Lord for this or that.” The real question is, when you asked, did you do so in faith? Were you convinced that what you were asking for would be given to you? Many believers approach prayer like a trial-and-error process—asking just to see if it works. And when nothing happens, they conclude that prayer does not work, without realizing that their attitude in asking was the real problem.

Beloved, if you want to ask and receive, you must do so with faith and absolute conviction. Why? Because faith keeps you persistent, even when you have not yet seen the results. This leads me to another revelation from the Holy Spirit: many people ask but do not receive because they stop asking too soon. They give up when they do not see immediate results.

If you truly want to receive what you are asking for, you must be willing to keep asking until you obtain it. This was the secret behind Elijah’s extraordinary results. The Bible says:

“While Ahab went to eat, Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, where he bowed down to the ground, with his head between his knees. He said to his servant, ‘Go and look toward the sea.’ The servant went and returned, saying, ‘I didn’t see a thing.’ Seven times in all, Elijah told him to go and look. The seventh time he returned and said, ‘I saw a little cloud no bigger than a man’s hand, coming up from the sea.’ Elijah ordered his servant, ‘Go to King Ahab and tell him to get in his chariot and go back home before the rain stops him.'” — 1 Kings 18:42-44 (GNT)

Did you see that? Elijah refused to stop praying until he got the answer he was looking for. Now, compare this to how many of us ask today. We often quit too soon, missing out on what God has in store for us.

I encourage you to learn from this. If you truly want to receive when you ask, you must ask in faith, with boldness, and persist until you see the results. Hallelujah!

Today’s Rhema

If you truly want to receive when you ask, you must ask in faith and boldness and continue in that path until you get the results you are looking for!

Confession for the Day

Father, I am grateful for opening my eyes to this wonderful truth. Today, I choose to ask in faith and boldness, and I will persist until I receive the answers to my prayers. In Jesus’ name, Amen!