Be Careful What You Ask For

James 4:3
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Have you ever thought that you could be praying the wrong way? It could be that you are praying for the wrong thing or really don't know what you're asking for.  Just the other day I was in a school bus class and someone asked a question about technology. Their question seemed to be a great idea and had good intentions. The question was addressing the overbooking of the classes and if the trainer thought that it would ever just go to being an online class that we could do from home. No one in that room thought it to be a bad idea until the instructor made his case.

He said, "Be careful what you ask for. Sometimes we want a quick technological fix but often forget that it will take away from jobs. We don't realize that if all things go to the internet then instructors loose their jobs. Then it's only a matter of time before our school systems can go to this same system. Which means a need for only a handful of teachers, and no more bus drivers." This man's question had the potential of being his loss of job and retirement.

What our instructor was saying was that we need to be very careful what we ask for. It has the potential of being our own destruction. When our prayer life is consumed with our flesh, and the lusts thereof, then we have nothing. We ask amiss, we ask for the wrong reasons. Be careful what you ask for, it may not be what you really want.