“From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” - James 4:1-3
We all long for a day when wars will all cease. The Bible speaks of such a day.
“And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plow shares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” - Isaiah 2:4
When will that day come? Not until Jesus returns to earth to judge among the nations.
However, what James is talking about in the verses above is not only wars among nations, but wars and fighting in churches, in households and even in the heart of the individual. He identifies the source of these wars. They come from lust, from unmet desires. We want something but we can’t have it. We are seeking for something but we cannot seem to obtain it. The desire in our heart is unfulfilled and it not only produces a lack of peace within our own heart, but it often boils over into conflicts with others. Notice, it says, “Ye fight and war, yet ye have not because ye ask not.”
When we have longings and needs that are going unmet, what are we to do? Are we to scratch and claw and take advantage of others to get what we want? No, we need to ask. Ask who? Ask God. God is the source of help, of blessing, of meeting the needs of His children. Often the emptiness we feel is a spiritual emptiness, a disconnect from God.
Even the material and emotional needs of the Christian are met by the Lord. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” – Matthew 6:33
One reason for the fearful conflicts we have is that we don’t ask and seek fulfillment in the Lord.
Another reason is, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” We have conflicts because we have unfulfilled desires, and because we desire the wrong things. People are continually seeking after things that don’t satisfy.
Just as the coming of Jesus in the future will bring an end to wars of the national variety, so the presence of God in your life will bring peace. James goes on to say in verses 8 and 10, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
Tom Kline is the pastor of Castlegar Baptist Church.
