1 Kings 3:9 “Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?”

Solomon could choose anything. He was given a blank check and could write on it whatever and how much he wanted. He could put as many zeros as he wanted after the amount, but he chose wisely. He chose wisdom instead, because he knew that’s what he needed.

Do you see what Solomon asked for? He didn’t ask for something for himself. He wasn’t looking at everything God could give him, but rather prayed for the equipment to properly manage what God had entrusted to him. And for that, he needed wisdom.

And that makes me wonder about my own prayers. If God were to give me the same blank check today, what would I write on it? Health, financial security, or stronger, more peaceful relationships? We may ask for it, but is it in line with what God wants?

When we are intimate with God, we learn to pray differently. Personal desires begin to take a back seat, and we begin to ask for wisdom to live right, to choose right and to do what God wants us to do.

God was pleased with what Solomon wrote on the blank check. Not an amount. Not a long life or the destruction of his enemies, but wisdom to lead and govern God’s people correctly.

God gave him what he asked for and even more. He also gave Solomon what he did not ask for. Solomon would be the richest king, the one who will be most honoured. And, said God, if Solomon followed Him just as his father did, he would live a long time too.

Perhaps we should look at what is on our prayer lists today. This doesn’t mean that we should stop talking to God about our own needs. And at its core, prayer should be asking God for what He knows we need to become who He wants us to be.

The closer we live to God, the greater our desire becomes to live only within His will. Intimacy with God changes not only how we pray, but also what we pray about.

Prayer
Father, give me what I need today to live the way You want me to live …

Questions
If God gave me a blank check today, what would I write on it?
Do I mostly ask God to change my circumstances, or to equip me to live within His will?
Where do I need God’s wisdom today to make the right choice?

Do this now
Look at your prayer list today and choose one request that is primarily about what you want. Turn it into a prayer that asks for God’s will and wisdom.
Simply pray, “Lord, show me what You want and give me the wisdom to do it.”