James 4:3 Meaning and Explanation
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Even their asking fails because they ask wrongly, only to spend it on their pleasures.
What Does James 4:3 Mean?
James anticipates an objection: but we do ask. He answers that they ask and do not receive because they ask wrongly, with the aim of spending what they get on their own pleasures. The problem is not only prayerlessness but prayer turned toward self.
Asking that serves only one's cravings is asking amiss, for it seeks to use God as a means to gratify desire. Such prayer cannot be answered without feeding the very disorder God means to heal. James exposes a heart that would bend even prayer to its appetites. True prayer aligns the asker with God's will, as Jesus prayed, not my will but thine. The reader is invited to examine not just whether he asks, but why, and to bring his desires under God's good purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions About James 4:3
What does James 4:3 mean?
Even their asking fails because they ask wrongly, only to spend it on their pleasures.