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

Some are supposed to object, But we do "ask" (cf. ). James replies, It is not enough to ask for good things, but we must ask with a good spirit. "Ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it (your object) upon (literally, in) your lusts" (literally, pleasures): not that ye may have the things you need for the service of God. Contrast with Matthew 6:31. If ye prayed aright, all your proper wants would be supplied: the improper cravings which produce "fightings" would cease. Even believers' prayers are often best answered when their desires are most thwarted.

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