"You have not because you ask not."

Yesterday on the way to Fort Dodge I got to listen to an episode of Family Life Today about prayer. It really couldn't have come at a better time because I recently have had a worry that I wanted to pray about for someone else, I found myself stopping to question, how do I pray for this? You see, I've kinda gotten in this mindset that I shouldn't say "God please make them all better" because what if that isn't what God want's to do? I feel like I should pray "your will be done" even when what I really want is for Him to make it all better. So I usually end up saying the words I feel like I should, as the radio program put it "the theologically correct prayer" and then asking God to also "be with them no matter what happens." This radio program was saying that this a very common mindset, but that doesn't make it biblical. Rather Jesus said "you have not because you ask not, " and the speaker was saying that we need to actually ask God for what is really on our hearts. He said that we don't because we are afraid that we might beg God for something and then he could still say no. At least if we pray the other way and he says no we have the security of knowing that we prayed "the theologically correct" prayer. How silly is that? But it's true, I know that's how I work. He used the example of if we wanted to ask a friend for something and the friend knew it and knew what we wanted, but just wanted us to request it, but we wouldn't because we wanted to be polite. That friend would think us very strange. I've had that experience, I think "stop standing on ceremony, just come out and say what you want and I'd be happy to grant your desire." Or if I can' t it at least brings us that tiny bit closer because I know what they really want. I thought too, how silly is it of me to pray "please be with these people," duh, He is, he's already promised that. So I tried it last night, as I was praying I asked God for what I really wanted, that he'd just make it all better. And you know what? It's humbling to beg God. It really made me feel like a little child asking my daddy to fix it. And I now feel more secure with Him saying yes or no because I came that little bit closer to His heart and trusted him with a little bit more of mine. That's what the guy on the radio said too, that he's begged God for things and had God say no (not like for a new tv, but for things like the life of his friend), but something about giving God your heart in that way, because he already knows it, opens you up to also being comforted by him in a closer way if He tells you no for now.