“And Solomon went up there before the LORD to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”
I have long been aware that God offered to grant any request King Solomon made. Solomon was rewarded for requesting wisdom and given much more. But what I was not aware of, is the part of our passage this morning which comes just prior to God’s offer.
Like Solomon, I have often asked for wisdom. But in reading this passage I realize my heart may not have been like his. Apparently, the king spent an entire day and a significant amount of money just glorifying God with 1000 burnt offerings. He never asked for anything… This is apparently an important event, as it is recorded in 1 Kings 3:4 as well.
I am not sure how much each offering cost or how long they took to burn but Solomon spent a significant amount of time and invested substantial resources worshipping God. He was praising God for what He had done not asking Him to do anything else … In fact, it was God who asked Solomon what He could give him.
And that is the convicting point this morning…. What is the longest I have ever spent on my knees just praising God? When is the last time I prayed… thanked Him for all He has done for me… and then went about my day? To be honest with you I don’t know if that has ever happened. Instead of “hallowed be thy name” I usually open with take care of me, bless me, protect me. “Thy will be done” is often polluted with “My will be done”. When I bow my head, it is almost automatic for me to start asking for things…. maybe not always things for me but asking and petitioning all the same.
What would God’s response be if we invested a full day and significant resources in just worshiping Him and not requesting anything? Are we capable of that? Perhaps today we should simply make the request for the ability to pray without making requests.
“Prayer is not a means of getting what we want, but of becoming what God wants us to be.” - A. W. Tozer
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