Numbers 32: Make an ASK out of yourself!

I tell my kids all the time, "If you don’t ask, the answer is no." Of course, they use it against me whenever they can, but hey—if they learn the lesson, that’s a win!

And we see the same principle right here in Scripture:

“Please give us this land as our property, and do not make us cross the Jordan River and settle

there.”—Numbers 32:5

A no is a whole lot better than never even asking, right? I can think of so many times in my life when I regretted not speaking up—when I stayed quiet instead of asking for what I needed or wanted.

James 4:2 puts it plainly: “You have not because you ask not.”

It seems so simple, but we overcomplicate it. We shrink back. We convince ourselves that asking is selfish, wrong, or just a waste of time. The truth is that’s not what Bible says. He says, “Ask, and you will receive.” 

God is no genie in a bottle. James reminds us that when we ask, we need to check our hearts. I know sometimes I don't ask because Im afraid of what the answer will be. Other times I don't want to get my hopes up. I don’t think God is sitting there just waiting to tell us no. Bottom line? Why not Ask.