The Prayer that Pleased God

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. 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.”  1 Kings 3:4-5

Heartfelt worship pleases God. Young king Solomon pleased God immensely when he offered the Lord those thousand burnt offerings on the altar. This worship cost Solomon of his time and his treasure. This worship came from Solomon's heart; otherwise, God would not have delighted in it.

That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream. He told Solomon that he would give him anything he desired – anything. Solomon impressed the Lord again with his answer. Instead of asking for great wealth, or great victory, or long life, he requested that he might receive a heart of wisdom and discernment to lead his people. He knew he was young and inexperienced, and his heart was humble and pure so he asked for what was right in God's eyes; he asked for wisdom.

This pleased the Lord to no end. He made Solomon the wisest king to ever sit on the throne, save Jesus Christ. The Lord also made him the wealthiest king to every live, even though Solomon did not ask for this blessing. Solomon started with a triumphant bang. Unfortunately, he stumbled greatly in his later years.

But we can learn much from Solomon's example here. We too can make worship a priority. We can set aside special times to seek God's face in a more focused and significant way. We can learn to ask God for things that delight our Father's heart. We can seek and pursue wisdom through prayer and the study of God's word.

If we will do these things, we will find - like Solomon did for much of his life - that the Lord will give us success in all we do. He will prosper us in every way even as our soul prospers. Like young Solomon, let's cause our Lord to smile, when we do, He will honor our requests and bless us with even more than we imagined.

Dear Father God,

I choose to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, and I thank You that You will bless me with all the things I need and desire. Lord, I ask for your wisdom so that I can serve You better. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.