PEOPLE CENTERED PRAYERS
Sunday, 21st August 2016 (Trinity 13)
1 Kings 3:5-12 (NKJV)
5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,
12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
In praying, we have opportunities to convey our needs/requests to God who has given us an assurance that He will answer us (Jer. 29:12-14). However, it often appears that our prayers are either delayed or not answered, thus making us blame God or think that God is a liar. God does not lie. Solomon in his prayer/request to God was neither concerned about himself nor how to establish his new position. Rather he was concerned about the great people of God (vs. 10, 11). This attitude of ‘people-centeredness’ pleased God so much that He not only granted Solomon’s request but also answered him beyond measure.
In his Epistle, James clearly identified one barrier to receiving answers to our prayers – asking wrongly outside the will of God or asking out of wrong or impure motives or for selfish purposes (James 4:3). We are thus encouraged to look more towards the needs of other people (Phil. 2:4). When we focus on their needs through intercession, we fulfil the law of love and God who knows us more than we know ourselves will also attend to our needs/ requests miraculously (Jer. 29:11, Eph. 3:20).
Prayer: O Lord, make me an intercessor, I pray Thee. Amen.