Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
June 15, 2003 - W0324

ì...the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, ëAsk what you wish me to give you.íî(1Ki 3:5) In other words, the Lord told Solomon to ask Him for anything. 

Like Solomon, Godís is going to ask each of us this question. And weíll need to consider our answer wisely because our response will reveal everything about us and determine our destiny.

I once asked a bunch of high school students this question. What would they ask God if He would give them anything in this world? Most of the guys wanted a truck or car while the girls wanted money. After a truck or car, some wanted a good woman, a house, and education.  Still others didnít know.

Before answering the Lord, think carefully. Be mindful that not all questions meant to be answered immediately. It just may reveal your arrogance, hastiness or even foolishness. Solomon leaves us a gem of wisdom to learn from. So, as we come up the steps before God and stand before the King of Kings of the universe, before answering we should....

THINK BEFORE YOU ANSWER!

In this day of age itís easy to take God flippantly. We have a tendency to use God like a genie in a lamp and say Lord, ìI want this or thatî. Our lifestyle may just be a front to God. However, can I encourage you to increase your respect for God? The bible calls it the fear of God. Weíve become almost foolish in our ways and scripture says. ìGuard your steps as you go to the house of God, and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools... Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought...î(Ecc 5:1-2)

Q1) How do you keep in check the fear of God within you?

How many times have we offered the sacrifice of fools asking God for things without thinking? Only to realize later how we could please the One who is able to give us whatever we needed to become whole and complete. Solomonís desire was to hear God say, well done my good and faithful servant. So Solomon gives us three solid principles to learn from as we come face to face with the King of Kings who will ask us as He did with Solomon. The first principle to guide us is to...

1.      RESPOND FIRST WITH GRATEFULNESS.

Solomonís answer to the Lord that day was not a request, but a response of gratefulness. ìThen Solomon said, ëYou have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward you; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.íî(1Ki 3:6)  In other words Solomon was genuinely thankful to the Lord for all Heíd done already. He acknowledged His mercy and kindness to David even after having his affair with Bathsheba.  Then to top it off, the Lord gave him a son as heir to the throne.

Remember that God is more concerned about our gratefulness than just about anything else in the world. So instead of jumping into the presence of God and asking for something, express a heart of gratefulness. ìEnter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.î(Ps. 100:4) Otherwise weíll become less grateful. Weíll always be looking for whatís wrong in our lives. Then weíll justify looking elsewhere instead of looking to God. Weíll become people wanting more yet never being satisfied. 

A lot of times we just want the external fruit. We want prosperity to keep going and going.  However, without the internal root or character growing in us, we end up crashing.  Sometimes not knowing, misunderstanding, or rebellion against Godís love and correction for us, we stand with our fist raised and demand prosperity. Yet the Lord may say no.  He may want us to just build roots of character in this season because thereís something He wants to teach us. So being patient and cooperating with Him is in our best interest. Otherwise weíll hinder our growth, destroy His dreams for our future, and become unteachable.

Q2)What season are you in, are you content in it and what are you learning in this season?

We must be able to say ìLord Iím content with what youíre doing in this season of my life. Even if itís barren because You see that itís not time for external fruit, but internal root. ìThe lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.î  In other words, no matter what your life looks like at the moment, be pleased with the way the Lord is treating you. He is in control and loves you more than you love yourself. Just trust in Him, be content and confident in His embrace.

Itís sort of like squeezing a tube of toothpaste. The only thing youíll squeeze out is toothpaste. And it doesnít matter where you squeeze it, whether in the comfort of a bathroom or in a middle of a raging storm. Toothpaste will still be the only thing thatíll comes out of it. 

Itís the same with us. When the Lord applies pressure and squeezes us, we should ooze gratefulness. So even if youíve lost a job, be grateful for having it for as long as you did. The Lord didnít have to give you that job, but He provided it for you for all these years youíve worked. Be grateful for lost relationships no matter what the reason for the breakup. Just be grateful for having that person and the relationship in your life. How often we remember the worst part in our relationships with others. The truth is that we should remember the good memories and be grateful for them. Be predictable.  Be a people who when being squeezed overflow with contentment and gratefulness instead of grumbling.  

Q3) Recall the last time you had a bad day and your response to being squeezed that day. What emotion(s) did it trigger if any that the Lord revealed to you, and what could you improve on character building?

When the disciples asked the Lord to teach them how to pray, the Lordís response was to show the Father respect and gratefulness. "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts and we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.î(Mat.6:9-13)

For two thousand years the Lord gave us the gift of salvation, grace, and loving-kindness for all. As a people following Him, always begin with a grateful heart. This is the first thing that should come out of our hearts. We should practice and stay in this parameter regardless of circumstances. Equally, guard your steps as you come up to the house of God. The second step to follow is to....

2.      RECOGNIZE YOUR OWN FRAILTY.

Solomon openly recognized his frailty and admits it, ìAnd now, O LORD my God, You have made Thy servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.î(1Ki 3:7)  When Solomon came before the Lord who gave him his position as king, he could only see himself as a little child without a clue of knowing what to do.

Others in the Bible have openly admitted their own frailty before God. They didnít come with preset trophies and presentations either. When Israel sinned, it was Moses that fell on his face and asked for forgiveness before the Lord. After fishing all night without catching anything, Simon Peter and his crew amazingly harvested a large catch after Jesus told him to put out his nets again. Realizing it was Jesus, Peter ìfell to his knees before the Lord and said, go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man.î (Lk.5:8)

ìIn the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.î(Isa. 6:1) And when Isaiah came face to face with the Lord he said ìWoe is me, I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.î (Isa.6:5) All these leaders stated their case before the Lord by saying theyíve got a lot to learn and admitted their frailty and mistakes.

Of course, we could blame everyone else for problems and just ask God to fix them. However, just maybe we need to stop and say, ìLord Iím a sinnerî. Maybe thereís something youíve not resolved and youíve become the victim rather than a victor. Does this mean everybody is right and weíre wrong? No, but we just need to recognize our own frailty.

Q4) Is it easy to admit your frailty or is it difficult? Why?

Some of us are quick to use religious phrases like, ìin the name of Jesusî. And we use it as a request or demand using His name. Others have a pre-agenda set and just want the Lord to augment this or that so they look better. Donít offer the sacrifice of fools. Donít take the name of Jesus and make it into a religious clichÈ. If you donít know how to be a wife, a husband, a parent, admit it to the Lord and ask Him to lay it out for you. Then do exactly as He says.

If we second-guess the Lord weíll start to live in the gray zones of life. This means our heart isnít really out front. We just give the appearance that it is. However, itís duplicitous living.  Our heart is steeped in sin and we know it. Yet we wonít admit it. For example, I might have an emotional affair with someone. And although Iím not sleeping with that person, my heart is.Then when someone asks about my marriage, I say itís fine. I actually twist the truth and allowed my life to be in the gray area while I portray a white one.

That is why God exposes us to the light in every area in order that we may correct and improve our lives. Itís sort of like a jewel in the hands of a master jeweler who puts it under a bright light. The brilliance of that piece will only shine when itís exposed to the light. And it is then that flaws will show up. Thus in the hands of the master jeweler, heíll be able to correct the flaw by buffing it out. And he is only able to do so because the jewel was exposed to light.

So if Iím living in the gray, my life will never improve. I can go to church a million times, be more savvy with Christian clichÈs, better at sinning so no one detects it, but will never grow. There are many Christians doused with the word of God, but will die of thirst until they come and open their mouths and drink of the water of life.

In review, when faced before the King, come before Him with a grateful heart. Be content with the way He is treating you, without circumventing situations. Secondly, recognize your own frailty. Chose to walk with God and not second-guess Him. ìIf we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.î(1Jn) He cannot improve us until weíre exposed to the light.

How it delights the Father when someoneís heart has been doused with the water of life and comes before Him! For now comes His request. What would we like Him to do? So our response should be this final principleÖ

3.      ASK GOD FOR AN UNDERSTANDING HEART.

ìSo give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?î(1Ki 3:9)

Basically, ask to qualify as a servant of God so you can see events and people through His eyes, or His perspective. Then the problems that are being resolved will be resolved Godís way. An understanding heart means to let the Lord help you see, hear, and do as He would do in every situation you face.

The Bible says in the beginning the world was formless and void. And God spoke and there was light. When Godís Word speaks into chaos, order happens. I know that when I speak I just add to the chaos. So ask Him to show you what to do and allow Him to work through you.

Here is the best prayer for husbands to pray every morning: Father, help me to see my wife and family through your eyes. Lord, what are you saying to my wife today? Encouragement? Would you say those words using my voice? And Father, what are you saying to my son and daughter today? Help me to say that too.

At times Heíll speak encouragement. Other times Heíll give directives. This is exactly what Jesus did. The Bible says, as I hear the Father speak, I speak. As I hear the Father judge, I judge.  In other words, people begin to see the heart of the Father being brought to the earth Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And we get to be the conduit for this to take place.

As we discover through Solomon, we know that when God heard what Solomon wanted, it delighted Him! ìAnd it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for - both riches and honor - so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.î(1Ki 3:10-13)

God was well pleased with Solomon and incredible as it was, the Lord gave him all the things he did not even ask for! Oh Lord, please teach us, for itís so easy for us to drift away from that kind of awe from our Father. And when we come face to face with you, help us to come with a grateful heart, recognizing our own frailty. and praying for understanding.  

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.î(Jn.15:7) And so it wonít be whether or not God will ask you because He will. However, when He does, think well and answer in such a way that it will delight Him. Youíll see that all the things that you didnít ask for you didnít need to...Heíll provide them!

Group) List your wants/desires 5 years ago and another at the present. Compare them and see if thereís a change, a trend, a growth of discernment and agape love between them? Does it clearly show the difference between the worldly desires & the desire for the Word?

Q5) If the Lord asked you ìwhat would you likeî at this moment, what would it be?

Q6) How will you be a better person because of what youíve learned today?

Mahalo to Doreen Rabaino, a woman known for her heart of gratefulness!

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