A Prayer Heard
Opening Prayer
Lord, give me a heart that desires those things that are in line with what Your heart desires.
Read 1 Kings 3:1-15
[1] Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. [2] The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD. [3] Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. [4] The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. [5] At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” [6] Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. [7] “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. [8] Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. [9] So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” [10] The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. [11] So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, [12] I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. [13] Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for-both wealth and honor-so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. [14] And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” [15] Then Solomon awoke-and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What would you ask the Lord if invited to ask anything?The Lord appears to Solomon in a dream and invites him to ask him for something (5). Solomon says, “I am only a little child…” (7), but his prayer for wisdom reveals him to be much wiser than that! Thus, to his natural wisdom, the Lord adds supernatural wisdom in abundance.Indeed the Lord goes beyond what Solomon asks, for he also promises him riches and honor, which again he gives him in abundance (13). Solomon responds as he should. He stands before the Ark in Jerusalem, worships the Lord and celebrates with his servants (15). So far so good, but all is not quite right. Solomon’s marriage to the Egyptian princess (1) breaks commands not to intermarry with “foreigners” (Deut. 7:3,4) and threatens to pull Israel too close to the old enemy, Egypt (Deut. 17:16). So, too, Solomon’s habit of sacrificing at “high places” (3) runs counter to the idea of worshiping in one place alone (Deut. 12). There is much here that is good but sadly, not everything.
Apply
Pray for God’s gift of wisdom, that you may follow him faithfully and without distraction.
Closing prayer
God of grace, thank You that You answer prayer and You do “exceedingly, abundantly more than we ask or imagine.”
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