“Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.” 1 King 3:10

Beloved,

I don’t know for you. But there have been times in my life when I found myself wondering about the types of requests that please God, the typical prayers that move the Almighty God so much so that He would react to them in so quick and obvious a way that the words of Isaiah 65:24 “(…) before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” would require no further explanation. A man of God is used to calling Isaiah 65:24 operation CASH, an acronym that stands for Call-Answer-Speaking-Hear.

Per our base verse, the Lord was happy with Solomon asking for wisdom because Solomon acknowledged that he was much too young and wanting in experience to judge God’s people he qualified as _“thy so great a people?”_ (1 King 3:9). Beyond the fact that it was God himself that appeared to Solomon and asked him to request for anything he wanted Him (God) to do for him (Solomon), God was so moved because Solomon had God’s people at the heart of his request. Though the wisdom he asked for was for himself, it was primarily meant to help him exercise justice and deliver his mandate with fairness.

I just tried to imagine if Absalom or Adonija had been in Solomon’s place, what they would have asked God: maybe that God deal with their enemies, or that he gives them long life and riches. But Solomon seemed to be more justice-conscious than power-conscious and that made a way for his request to touch God’s heart. Verses 12 to 14 of the same chapter tell us how Solomon got beyond and above everything he could have legitimately dreamt of.

Beloved ones, let’s pause here to draw a pattern of what God may be looking for in our prayer to answer before we call and to hear while we are still speaking: does what we are asking God for serve his purpose? How will that house you are praying for, that husband/wife you are fasting for, that car you are planning for, that job you are yearning to secure help you serve God better, be faithful to him, expand his reign and his kingdom? How will the child you are waiting on God for contribute to the advancement of his kingdom? Will that promotion you are dreaming of take you closer to or farther from him? Rethink and adjust for answered prayer!