This is Pastor Fred!
Welcome to our Church’s Blog, for conversations on various topics and issues… and food for further thought and growth.
This is Pastor Fred!
Welcome to our Church’s Blog, for conversations on various topics and issues… and food for further thought and growth.
What do you need?
I, Pastor Fred, was doing some research on 1 Kings 3:1-15, when God asks the young child-king, Solomon, in a dream what he wants God to give him. Solomon asks for wisdom and discernment for what is right.
1 Kings 3:5-14 (ESV)
5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” ( The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001)
Discussion thoughts:
Today, we all pray for many things, yet are these thing truly what we need? How do we pray? What do we really, truly need?
God’s word – food for thought…
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”(LUKE 11:9).
God promises to hear our prayers… yet God needs absolutly nothing… He is creator and sustainer of the entire universe…
“’Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares the LORD. ‘This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word’”(ISAIAH 66:2)
“He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever–holy and awesome is his name”(PSALM 111:9).
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”(HEBREWS 4:16). So, we come before God in confidence!
Why? Because, God forgives Christian believers, through Christ’s suffering and death on the cross… so once forgiven, through Holy Communion, or by asking God for forgiveness, we stand before God, at least for a moment… completely forgiven, washed clean, sinless, spotless, we are holy once again….before our sin creeps back in…..
Now, back to prayer, and asking God/Jesus/Holy Spirit for our daily needs….
Jesus said: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it”(JOHN 14:13,14)
So, why don’t we get everything we, in our minds need?
“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him”(1 JOHN 3:21,22).
So, coming back full circle… praying to God for our daily needs, I add in this point, that I realized today.
Jesus prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, that is the perfect prayer can be broken down into seven parts, seven petitions. How is this weighted? Only one petition, is asking for earthly needs. the other 6 petitions deal with spiritual aspects of our lives that we pray for when praying the Lord’s pray. 6/7 of our needs, that Jesus foresaw, are aspects of our relationship with God in heaven!
Needs….. what things do YOU really need in your lives?
- Pastor Fred