When Solomon was around twenty years old, he became the King of Israel. That’s impressive!
But what’s even more impressive to me is how he prayed at the time:
“At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is during your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (1 Kings 3: 5-9 ESV).
Wow! That’s some prayer! Because it is not often that God gives someone a “blank check” of sorts. But that is what Solomon had. And yet he did not ask for things that would benefit him alone, but God’s people.
I share Solomon’s prayer with you because while our circumstances are vastly different than his, we too can pray like Solomon. How? By praying a prayer of dependence on God. You see, that’s what Solomon’s prayer was. For he knew that he didn’t have the understanding necessary to govern God’s people. And so, he told God that he was depending on Him to have all that he needed to rule, and bring God glory.
So, what are you depending on God for? Is it for wisdom about how to deal with your family, a situation at work, or a decision you must make? Is it for health or energy to deal with the days ahead? Or perhaps it’s for the strength to overcome a long-standing sin. Whatever it is, you can pray a prayer of dependence on God just like Solomon did. And, if during your prayers, you tell God that you want Him to be glorified in these situations, all the better. For that should be at the forefront of every prayer.
“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”- Abraham Lincoln
Pastor Rob