Oh, this is an interesting question which is connected deep to our hearts.

Well! We all have our wish list.  This is crucial in terms of our development, progress and happiness. By the way, when you wish, don’t play games by twisting your wish list into something that takes you on the harm road.  C’mon, you are too precious to be on a twisted road. So, as a wish is synonymous with a desire, one has to be careful what they desire.  And the question is, what do you really desire to expand your life to the greatness God wants you to be?  

Okay… Jesus said, ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you.’ (John 15:7) Now I probably know what you’re thinking, ‘Oh, I have all these things on my list: which one can I ask first?

Oh, hang on!  Don’t ask for those millions to indulge in materialism. He says, ‘Get on the narrow righteous road,’ which carries all the blessings of God – Jesus’ way. (Matthew 7:13-14)

So, in life, as always, we a normally get things we wish for. For example, a child who wishes for a good fruit will always get good fruits. A good fruit is not just delicious and sweet, it carries the healing elements the body needs. And this is synonymous with the importance of wishing for the good things of which God approves.  

The scripture tells us, ‘Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A person reaps what he or she sows. The one who sows to please their sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit (Jesus) from that Spirit will reap eternal life.’  (Galatians 6:7-10) We also learn from the Bible, that we should continuously do good acts, in order to reap a harvest.

Thus, Jesus helps us to understand that if you desire good things in life and are connected to God’s will, they will come; likewise, if you desire the wrong ones, that’s what you’ll get. However, sometimes a person may say, ‘I wished for a marriage, or a good job, but to no avail.’  Many times, things come in God’s timing, not our timing: and if you didn’t get something, there is always a good reason why it didn’t happen. One of them, you were not ready or not capable of handling it.  And I’m sure many of us have had those experiences of not getting what we wanted, which also means we didn’t need it at that time.  In the end, before you wish for something, do some self-examination. Once a preacher stated that he wanted to be a fireman, but lacked the self-esteem to fulfil it.  In the end, he ended up being a preacher (a better option) which was in his wish-list.

Back to the question!  What does God want a person to ask for?  We learn from the Bible that a person must ask for any thing connected to God’s will; e.g. for guidance (the Holy Spirit), peace, forgiveness, wisdom, help, understanding and salvation. Jesus teaches us the importance of asking God in his name, because that’s how God Almighty planned it – he provides through Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.’ (John 16:23) Thus, we should ask wisely according to God’s will.

God bless you!