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...the Bible tells me so:
In a very stinging rebuke of worldly Christians, James writes, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2 NASB). He is meaning that many Christians do not have blessings from God simply because they do not ask God for them. How fundamental a contradiction! God is the provider of all blessings. It is only natural for a child of God to ask the Heavenly Father for His bounty to rain on us.
Asking is a principle in Scripture and in life. I remember that, as a door-to-door salesman for a famous-maker brand of cutlery, I did not make any money because I did not ask anyone to buy. I was a door-to-door salesman for a famous-maker brand of vacuum cleaners. I did not make any money because I did not ask anyone to buy. I did not go hungry. I was still living at home.
Later in life, I learned what it means, “You do not have because you do not ask.” I sold prearranged funerals door-to-door for a local funeral home. I asked for the appointment. I made the presentation. At the end, I asked for a check. Had I not asked, I would have gone hungry, and my wife and my children, too. I had a need to ask.
I
think of the time that Jesus went away to the region of
A Canaanite woman approached Him. Now mind you, the Canaanites were one of the groups of people living in the Promised Land when the Israelites came to conquer over a thousand years earlier. She came to Jesus, not as an enemy but as a supplicant.
Her daughter was struck ill by a demon, at home and in bed (Mark 7:30). We do not know the nature of the daughter’s illness. In those days demons caused many things, fever, deafness, muteness, and so forth.
Her mother begged Jesus, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed” (Matthew 15:22).
Jesus’ disciples were clearly agitated. Not only did He seemingly not listen to her, she did not listen to them and their attempts to send her away. They, in turn, appealed to Jesus, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us” (verse 23).
What is wrong with this picture? With everything that we know about Jesus, when people needed help, He helped them. He did nothing. Also, here were His disciples being anything but helpful.
Then
Jesus dealt the crushing blow. He responded to her pleas(e) for her daughter by
saying, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of
I learned in sales that selling begins after the third “No.” If someone buys before that time, they did not buy because of your ability to sell; they bought because they had already decided to buy. You just happened to be at the right place at the right time.
First
“No”: Jesus did not answer her. Second “No”: the disciples pleading with Jesus
to send her away. Third “No”: Jesus stating that He was not sent to her but to
The woman responded simply, “Lord, help me!” (verse 25). She would only accept a “Yes” from Him.
Jesus answered, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (verse 26). Again, Jesus answers her, “No.” Yet, we must not take those words as insulting. Jesus was using a common illustration of life, just like He always did. Mother does not spread a feast on the table before her family only to yank the tablecloth and bring the food down to hungry pets.
The Canaanite mother grabbed Jesus’ heart when she agreed, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master’s table” (verse 27). Which of us who have pets do not know of this truth. Pets love little children at the table. “Showings of blessing” fall at dinnertime!
Surely Jesus was testing her all along. He finally gives her what she asked, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish” (verse 28). The little girl was healed immediately.
If we want our needs taken care of, then we must ask God in prayer.
We need to identify a problem at this point. Some have the mistaken idea that whenever they ask God to remove a difficulty, they only have to sit back and wait for God to perform. They have forgotten that in calling upon God for deliverance, David still had to flee his enemies. When God promised Abraham a child, Abraham still had to perform husbandly duties to produce a child. When God gave the Israelites the Promised Land, they still had to conquer and take possession of the land.
In life, we must ask. If you want money, then you must ask for a job. If you want a wife, then you must ask for a first date. If you want a house, then you must look to buy.
In Christianity, we must ask. If we want to increase our attendance, then we must ask others to come. If we want our membership to grow, then we must ask others to join. If we want to bring people to Jesus, then we must ask them to learn of His way. If we want to help more people, then we must ask others to give. If we want more Bible teachers, then we must ask others to teach.
Do you get the idea? We all sell. The choice is simple. If you don’t ask, you won’t get. Instead, do as Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (7:7).
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