March 29, 2016

Ask God For Good Things

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.” -- 1 Kings 3:5

What would you like from God? The Bible tells us to ask for anything and, if it is in His will, you’ll get it. But what does that mean? And how should we respond?

First, the Bible tells us that God wants to bless us with good things. Whatever we ask for, God will surely give it to us -- if it’s good for us.

How do we know what a good thing is? By seeking His will in all things. By reading His Word. By praying -- and taking time to hear His voice. By spending time with God we get to know Him, we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, who leads us to ask for good things.

When we aren’t focused on God, when we focus on ourselves and the things of this world, we sometimes ask for bad things. We humans can be pretty fickle. We depend a lot on our emotions. Yard sales are filled with things that someone “had to have.” We joke about kids who get a toy and a few hours later they’ve lost interest in it. Adults are pretty much the same. We get a new gadget, figure it out, use it a few times, and we’re done.

Have you ever asked God for something, had him say no, pouted a while, then realized later you were so grateful He said no because it wasn’t really what you wanted after all? Yeah. Me too. God really does know what is best for us.

It doesn’t mean we can’t be persistent. Remember the parable Jesus told in Luke 18? The widow was so persistent that the judge granted her justice. We can be persistent too. Keep asking until God tells you not to. He’ll answer you either by granting your request or giving you something so much better.

Sometimes prayers are answered in the most unexpected ways. I’ve learned that I can’t predict much of anything. That’s hard for a planner like me. But it has strengthened my walk of faith. I don’t have to know the way. God does. I just have to focus on following Him.

Do you remember what Solomon asked God for? Wisdom to govern God’s people. God responded by giving him wisdom -- and wealth and honor. God gave Solomon so much more than what he’d asked for because Solomon asked for something good that would bring glory to God. He’ll do the same for me and you.