Granting Wishes & Prayers

Picture a child coming to Santa – not a crying, fearful child – but one who has finally seen Santa with their own eyes. Not only have they spotted Santa, but they get to approach him. To sit on his lap and tell him EVERYTHING they want for Christmas. These aren’t small, practical requests. These kids are thinking big. They want ponies, puppies, unicorns, race cars, and robots. Nothing is too big or off limits. After all, this is SANTA CLAUS! He owns his own toy factory!

Or picture Aladdin when he discovers Genie (and yes, absolutely hear Robin Williams’ impressions). He finds out he has three wishes! Sure, there are some rules. Unlike Santa, certain requests are off limits – Genie can’t kill anyone, make anyone fall in love, or bring people back from the dead. Aladdin’s in a unique position. If he plans well, he can have three wishes granted that will drastically change his life.

Now picture prayer.

What do you think of when you consider prayer? Is God in a Santa-like role? Do you eagerly demand a million over-the-top items? Or is he more like Genie? He has a lot of power and is a bit of a mystery. But ultimately, there are a lot of rules, regulations, and he can only answer so many times?

God is neither of these when it comes to answering our prayers. But often, we fall into the trap of treating Him like Santa or Genie. Let’s take a quick look at Solomon, famous son of King David, when he made a request to God.

And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great and faithful love to my father David, and you have made me king in his place. Lord God, let your promise to my father David now come true. For you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Now grant me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people, for who can judge this great people of yours?” – 2 Chronicles 1:8-10

1. Solomon acknowledged and praised God for His past faithfulness. Right off the bat. That’s how Solomon starts. He recognizes that it’s the Lord that has allowed him to be king.
2. He then remembers the Word of God and repeats them. This is not a condescending reminder. Rather, Solomon shows that he knows God’s Word so well that he can use the in context. And he knows that, since it’s a promise from God, God will fulfill it.
3. Solomon makes his request. He doesn’t make a self-serving request. Rather, he asks for wisdom and knowledge so that he can be a great leader of God’s people. Wow!

Solomon was in front of God and requested wisdom! He could have asked for anything! He approached God in humility, fully knowing that God had the power to answer any request made to him. He applied Scripture to His current situation and requested a way to serve God’s people better.

Our prayer lives would change dramatically if we followed more of Solomon’s example than Aladdin’s. Because other Scripture passages teach us that God will answer the prayer for wisdom. When was the last time you asked for wisdom?