The Hindrance Of Selfishness

The Hindrance of Selfishness

Even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. James 4:3

THERE’S NOTHING INHERENTLY WRONG with pleasure. God created it. He generously gives us all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). We are designed to celebrate God’s good gifts and give thanks to him for all the joy and pleasure they bring. But fallen human nature turns pleasure into an end in itself and organizes life around that end. It prioritizes something that is secondary to God himself. Pleasure becomes an idol.

When we pray for our idols, we are outside of God’s will. We have subverted the divine order in favor of the fallen natural order. We have deified ourselves and tried to make the rest of life serve the god we’ve enthroned in our hearts. That never works, at least not for long. Our motives are skewed, our pursuits are misdirected, and our victories are temporal. We have forsaken eternal fruit for temporary gain. It’s never a good deal.

In his mercy, God rarely answers those prayers. If he does, it’s only to show how futile they are. His greater purposes are for us to deny the centrality of ourselves and focus on him above all. Only then can we experience real pleasure, lasting fruit, and deep joy. Only then can we orient our lives around what truly matters. Only then can we expect God to answer our prayers according to his promises.

We are called to be Kingdom citizens who, when blessed with material blessings, understand them to be a means to bless others. We see whatever God has given us as an asset to further his Kingdom and demonstrate his kindness to others. We enjoy it, to be sure, but we don’t seek his gifts only for our own enjoyment. We see ourselves as part of the whole, representatives of his nature, ambassadors for his purposes, and mediators of his goodness. That’s a perspective that positions us to receive the fullness of his blessings. He can trust us with them when our desires are centered on him. We ask and receive according to his good pleasure—and, as a wonderful side benefit, according to ours.

The purpose of all prayer is to find God’s will and make that will our prayer.