Word
of God
Man
does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from
the mouth of God
Matthew
4:4
The
Epistle of James 4:3
(Study
notes by Matthew Henry Edited/Prefaced by Doktor Riktor Von Zhades)
3
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye might lay the
same on your pleasures.
Brethren:
Herein,
the apostle is stating, that our prayers must need be for the things
that would advance the word, that is the Gospel, and more importantly
that would be to the glorification of our heavenly Father. Recall if
you will that our Savior had said that God has our needs taken care
of, that He knows what are needs are and will provide for them.
However our wants are of a different nature. These would be those
things that would only serve to fulfill our worldly desires, and our
own vanity. In summation, there is an adage that goes along the lines
of “be careful of what you wish for” - Dr. R.V.Z
“This
is as if it had been said, "Though perhaps you may sometimes
pray for success against your enemies, yet it is not your aim to
improve the advantages you gain, so as to promote true piety and
religion either in yourselves or others; but pride, vanity, luxury,
and sensuality, are what you would serve by your successes, and by
your very prayers. You want to live in great power and plenty, in
voluptuousness and a sensual prosperity; and thus you disgrace
devotion and dishonour God by such gross and base ends; and therefore
your prayers are rejected.’’ Let us learn hence, in the
management of all our worldly affairs, and in our prayers to God for
success in them, to see that our ends be right. When men follow their
worldly business (suppose them tradesmen or husbandmen), and ask of
God prosperity, but do not receive what they ask for, it is because
they ask with wrong aims and intentions. They ask God to give them
success in their callings or undertakings; not that they may glorify
their heavenly Father and do good with what they have, but that they
may consume it upon their lusts —that they may be enabled to eat
better meat, and drink better drink, and wear better clothes, and so
gratify their pride, vanity, and voluptuousness. But, if we thus seek
the things of this world, it is just in God to deny them; whereas, if
we seek any thing that we may serve God with it, we may expect he
will either give us what we seek or give us hearts to be content
without it, and give opportunities of serving and glorifying him some
other way. Let us remember this, that when we speed not in our
prayers it is because we ask amiss; either we do not ask for right
ends or not in a right manner, not with faith or not with fervency:
unbelieving and cold desires beg denials; and this we may be sure of,
that, when our prayers are rather the language of our lusts than of
our graces, they will return empty.” - Matthew Henry 17th
theologian
“Some
there were that did ask of God the blessings of his goodness and
providence, and yet these were not bestowed on them; the reason being
that they not in the faith of a divine promise; nor with thankfulness
for past mercies; nor with submission to the will of God; nor with a
right end, to do good to others, and to make use of whthat ye may
consume it upon your lusts; But, instead to indulge to intemperance
and luxury; as the man that had much goods laid up for many years
did, to the neglect of his own soul, or the rich man, who spent all
upon his back and his belly, and took no notice of Lazarus at his
gate;at might be bestowed, for the honour of God, and the interest of
Christ.” John Gill - late 16th century theologian.
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