Prayer: “This ain’t no Jeanie in bottle where you have to ‘rub him the right way.’”
S—Ask for whatever you want me to give you…….the Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.
H—Here God asks Solomon to ask for whatever He wants and Solomon responds by asking for wisdom. God is so pleased in this request. It seems that God is pleased because Solomon’s request is not for personal gain but for the gain of the Kingdom of God. In this case the management and leading of the great nation that God has brought into reality through the leadership of David. Its as if Solomon’s prayer is a chance for God to see Solomon’s heart. Is Solomon going to think of himself first or will it be others? God leaves the door open to how the story will turn out by saying to Solomon as long as you continue to do “this” I will continue to bless you.
A—So often we think of prayer and Jesus as this place for us to put our personal requests of selfish gain into the hands of God and expect Him not only to hear these requests but to actually grant these requests. The result is a our “little” Jesus in a je
anie bottle and all we have to do is “rub him the right way” and our request will be granted. But yet this scripture seems to suggest that prayer is a chance for God to see our hearts. Its as if God is asking in prayer, “is this person with me for selfish gain or is this person here for the gain of my Kingdom.” Prayer as a test of the heart and I have to admit my culture is failing miserably. It must grieve the heart of God to know that when His people can ask for anything that they often desire selfish gain instead of advancing God’s Kingdom.
P—Lord I come to you this morning to repent of my unfaithfulness in prayer. Far too often have I prayed for the gain of “Chad” instead of the gain for “You.” I pray that you would help my prayer life be centered in your Kingdom gaining ground in the world. Protect me from the temptation to focus my prayer life around my personal gain and may you find me to be faithful in my request made to you through prayer. Amen!!!
E—Prayer is God’s invitation to me to ask to mold me into a tool that will advance His vision and mission in the world.
Peace from Pastor P
