There is a scripture in James 4 that says you have not because you ask not. I find this verse to be very interesting. God is a deeply personal God, and He knows our thoughts and feelings before we even go to Him. So why does He not just give us the things we want since He already knows about it? I believe the answer lies in relationship.
God is not only a personal God, He is a God that deeply values relationships. Even after He created Adam and Eve, He didn’t just say to them now go forth and prosper and enjoy each other. The Bible says God would come and walk with Adam and Eve each day, and they would enjoy face to face fellowship with Him. This makes the betrayal of Adam and Eve by eating the fruit of the tree much deeper. God was not unknown to them, but they still chose what they wanted over what He had asked of them.
Even though the fall of man happened, it did not surprise God. The Bible says in 1 Peter that before the foundation of the world, God knew man would fail and Jesus would come to earth to die for us and restore us to right relationship with Him. Yet God chose to create man anyway and give man free choice by planting the tree of life and death in the garden. God knew for us to have an authentic relationship with Him, we would have to have the ability to choose Him. When people are forced to be in a relationship, that is not an authentic or healthy relationship. In fact, many would classify that as abusive. God longs to have a relationship with us, but we have to choose Him just as He chose us.
Matthew 7:7-8 in The Passion Translation says, “Ask, and the gift is yours. Seek, and you’ll discover. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. For every persistent one will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he longs for. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door.” God invites us to come and talk with Him about the things we want and need. When we ask, the answer may not always be yes in the way we might understand yes because only God can see the full picture and know what is best for us. The answer might be yes, but we have to wait for His perfect timing. Such was the case with Abraham and Sarah waiting for their promised son or Joseph waiting in prison to be in powerful leadership or me waiting to meet my husband.
In Mark 5 beginning in verse 25 there is the story of a woman who was very sick. She had suffered with a flow of blood for twelve years. The Bible says she had spent all her resources on physicians who had not helped her. In fact, at their hands, she had grown worse. Can you imagine? She had been bleeding for twelve years! The physical symptoms she must have been experiencing from losing that much blood for twelve years, not to mention the mental and emotional exhaustion she must have felt from going from one physician to the next desperately looking for help. Instead of relief, she had received disappointment and a depletion of finances. I think it safe to say she was most likely desperate.
This woman was in a crowd of people following Jesus. She was not supposed to be in the crowd. Due to her illness, she would have been deemed unclean and was not allowed to be around people. However, she thought to herself, if she could just touch Jesus’ clothes she could be healed. We could say she was brave and had great faith because she believed if she could just touch Jesus’ clothes she would be healed. I think that would be true because she understood Jesus’ power. She believed even a touch of His clothes would bring her healing. However, I am not sure she was altogether brave. But she was persistent. If she was in the crowd and she touched Jesus’ clothes, there is a possibility no one would ever know. There were so many people she would not be found out. However, once she did touch Jesus, of course, He knew. He stopped and looked around asking for the person who touched Him to reveal themselves. Again, He already knew who had touched Him, so why didn’t He just let the woman be? Why make her identify herself? I think it is because at that point the woman knew she was healed. The Bible says she felt strength come back into her body. I think in God’s mercy, He asked the woman to identify herself. She needed to acknowledge to Jesus that day that the healing really did happen, and they both knew it. Jesus did not rebuke her for being in the crowd or for touching Him. Instead, He told her that her faith had made her well and to go in peace. Why? I think it is because when the enemy would try to come to her later to talk her out of what really happened she could say, no! I know and Jesus knows that healing happened.
This story strikes me because Jesus could have seen the woman in the crowd and known what she had been suffering and healed her. However, He already knew her thoughts, and He knew it was important for her to reach out and grab her miracle. Who do you think dropped the thought in her head that if she touched Jesus’ clothes she would be healed? No one had been healed in that manner yet. At least no one the Bible records. So I think the Holy Spirit dropped that thought in her heart and mind. The woman, however, had a choice. Would she act on it? Would she step out in faith and touch Jesus’ garment? When she did, Jesus told her, her act of faith had made her well.
God wants to partner with us. He wants our lives here on earth to be about relationship with Him. He wants us to ask Him for the things we want and need. He even wants us to dream with Him. He spends so much time thinking about us and who we are and our well being. He desires for our hearts to connect with His. He is not in heaven hoping you will make good choices. If you will let Him, He wants to be actively involved in every area of your life. He loves you more than you can understand.