Solomon

Are Our Prayers Results-Oriented?

While going through today’s reading, one verse hit me in the face with the force of a heavyweight boxer. David is praying for his son, Solomon, who will become king. David says,

Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.

1 Chronicles 29:19, NLT

Wow! Really let this sink in. Maybe you are not guilty of this, but I know I am; when I pray to God I want to see a result. I want to see a particle thing happen. Then I can check it off in my prayer journal and be satisfied that God has answered this prayer in the affirmative and move on to the next one. But David’s prayer, so simple and moving is that Solomon would not MERELY obey and accomplish, but that he would have the WHOLEHEARTED DESIRE to do so.

Is that how we pray? Do we want God to do the work/empower us to do the work, or do we want God to help us DESIRE to do the work?

God help me DESIRE more of You. Help me WANT to do what is right. Incline my heart toward Your will and Your way. Help me to long for unity with You, help me to persevere toward that Goal all of the days of my life. Help me to hunger and thirst after your heart. Help me to feel incomplete without your direction. God have Your way in me. Help me to love myself less so that I can leave more room for Your love to share with those who do not yet know You. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause.

Thank you Jesus.

Sola Scriptura

This phrase was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation and comes from the Latin: sola meaning “alone” and the word scriptura meaning “writings” (the Scriptures, the Holy BIble). Sola scriptura declares that Scripture alone is authoritative in the life of the Christian as it pertains to matters of faith and truth. The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true.

Today I am applying it a little differently. Usually I would expound some kind of explainer or extrapolate some application from the day’s passage, but in this case, I think I will go with Scripture alone. And just allow the text to speak directly. Be encouraged, friends!

Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you for forsake you.

1 Chronicles 28:20b

I Don’t Deserve This

Some will read this and assume unmerited blessing, some will read this and assume unmerited cursing. Solomon tells us that both come from the Lord (Ecc 7:14), so we should seek to learn in every circumstance.

In the case of Abram and Sarai the Lord has chosen out two to bless and make a covenant with despite any qualifications of which to speak. If fact when Abram is called the only things we know about him are that he is married to a barren woman and that he is the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson of Noah (Note: Noah only missed Abram’s birth by 2 years… people lived a LONG time back then). Given that God’s call on Noah was to be a “great nation” it would seem that the only qualification Abram and Sarai had was their LACK of qualification. In fact, shortly after God’ promise to Abram he tries to sell his wife into the Egyptian Pharoah’s haram to save his own skin!

In the same way, God has a call on YOUR life. Not because of WHO you are, but because of WHOSE you are. Trust Him and follow him whether you are in a time of prosperity or a time of refining. Both are a blessing and both are shaping you into who God wants you to be so you can fulfil the call He has placed on your life.

But remember! Pride comes before the fall. God pulled no punches in frustrating the plans of the people of Babel who thought more highly of themselves than they ought.

Go with God, learning in all humbleness and submission.

Genesis 11-14; 1 Chronicles 1:24-37 | 004/365