Articles
A Worthy Request
One of God’s great commands to His people in scripture is to “let our requests be made known to God” with thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6). That passage goes on to explain what a tremendous gift that command is to us. It mitigates anxiety. It grants a peace that can be achieved in no other way. It guards our “hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”.
I would, however, suggest that the blessings of that command are only achieved when the requests made are in line with the kind of heart described in the rest of that chapter. A joyful and thankful heart are required (4:4,6). A spirit of peace and gentleness must be the rule (4:5). The heart of the faithful petitioner must meditate upon virtuous, praiseworthy, and lovely things (4:8).
When that kind of heart is present, coupled with an earnest desire to glorify God, the type of requests that please God should come naturally. We can see an example of one such petition and petitioner in 1 Kings 3. If I were to ask you, without looking it up, what Solomon asked God for, you would likely respond with one word: WISDOM. That is the correct answer, if not a bit of a condensed version. In 1 Kings 3:9, it says, “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil…”. Wisdom, yes, but, more accurately, he asked for an “understanding heart”. Some versions translate that phrase a “listening heart”. In the Hebrew that phrase is Lev Shomea. This would have been understood to a Hebrew speaker to mean a heart that has the ability and willingness to listen with the whole being, encompassing understanding, discernment, and a willingness to obey. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament defines the root word of that phrase as “to hear, listen to, obey”. Solomon didn’t just ask for the wisdom to discern, but the heart that would listen and RESPOND wisely.
In James 1:5 the text says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”. This request for wisdom is indeed a worthy one. It is one that the Lord is all too happy to provide. God always fulfills this request, but there are qualifiers. In the next few verses of James 1, we read that the request must be made “in faith, with no doubting”; “double-minded” and “unstable” petitioners need not apply.
God’s fulfillment of this desire is not like the granting of a wish from a genie. He is not going to deliver instant knowledge and wisdom without any effort on our part. Study of His word, concern for His statutes, attention to the details of His instruction, coupled with the proper heart that we mentioned before that MUST be present when we approach Him, will enable us to receive a Lev Shomea – listening heart.
When Jesus, in His great sermon, told the listeners to stop focusing on the physical things in this life” What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or What shall we wear?”, we understand the message very plainly. They were focused on the temporary rather than the eternal. “For after all these things the Gentiles seek…But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt. 6:31-32). Solomon got it right in 1 Kings 3. He understood this principle, and it served him well. Even though riches were not his goal, God granted his request for an “understanding heart”, but also provided far and above any physical blessing he could have ever imagined.
It's not that asking God for the physical needs of this life is wrong. Jesus Himself, in the model prayer found in the same sermon, asked the Father to “give us this day our daily bread”, but Christ’s focus was not on the physical. This reminder hits close to home for me. The focus of my prayers too often are the physical needs of this life. They are not extravagant. I’m not asking for riches or new cars or anything like that, but I need to always remember to have my priorities in order in my prayers. Lord, grant me the strength and patience to be a good husband, father, son, brother, preacher, teacher, helper, and friend. Grant us the clarity to see your will in the word you have left for us. And please, give us a listening heart, willing to not only hear but obey, and “to discern between good and evil.”. This is indeed a worthy request.
