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Transcription
In today's Daily Devotion, we learn about young King Solomon's prayer for wisdom and discernment to lead God's people. God is pleased with Solomon's selfless request and grants him not only wisdom but also wealth and honor. The message emphasizes the importance of seeking wisdom for the sake of others. It encourages us to consider how our prayer requests can be shaped by the needs of others. The passage also mentions a dairy farmer whose prayers reflected his deep dependency on God. The option for personal worship suggests asking God for wisdom, as stated in James 1.5. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for December 13th, 2023. Today we will be reading from 1 Kings chapter 3, verse 5 through 13. 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. 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. 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. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 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? The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 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 and administering justice, 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. 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. We are continuing this week to look at the motivations behind different people in the Bible. Today we are reading about how young King Solomon was motivated by a desire to lead God's people with wisdom. The message interprets this young king's prayer request in his dream this way, Here's what I want. Give me a God-listening heart, so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil, for who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people? God recognized that young King Solomon's request was not for his own benefit, but for the benefit of others. God responds, acknowledging that Solomon didn't ask for long life or riches, or the doom of his enemies, but for the ability to lead and govern well. Other translations translate Solomon's request as a discerning heart, or an understanding mind. God grants Solomon's request and adds the gifts of the things he didn't request. Wisdom, understanding, and discernment for the sake of others are truly gifts from God. In my younger years, dedicated church members offered the worship services and prayers of Thanksgiving for the tithes and offerings. Several times during the year, an individual who had been a lifelong dairy farmer offered the prayer. His prayer reflected his deep dependency on God from his life as a dairy farmer. His prayers held much wisdom and understanding from his own God-listening heart. Who are wisdom-filled individuals you have known throughout your lifetime? Today's personal worship option. For the sake of others, Solomon prayed for a gift, a God-listening heart, which could only come from God. As we ponder the needs of others, how might that change our prayer requests unto God? James 1.5 says, If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to you.
