Topic: He Who Answers [December 25, 2016]
Text: 2 Chronicles 1:7-17
Key Verse: “In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee” (2 Chronicles 1:7).
Solomon’s prosperous and peaceful era as the king of Israel begins with his memorable encounter with the Lord, Who gave him a blank cheque: “Ask what I shall give thee”. Yet with a child-like heart, unpolluted by the later lustful and idolatrous craving, Solomon simply asked for wisdom and knowledge to make him please God in service to His people. He did not ask for worldly riches or fame as others would. Nor did He ask God to wreak vengeance on his enemies.
The Bible says in 1 Kings 3:10, that the young king’s “speech pleased the LORD” Who went ahead to give him such enormous wealth and “the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the vale for abundance”, in addition to “a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee” (1 Kings 3:12). It was not the first time God had given those He delights in more than what they desire. At a point in his life, when David was fleeing from Saul, his hide-out in Ziklag was attacked by the Amalekites who carried away his wives and looted his property. A distressed David went to God desiring to know two things. Should he pursue the invaders and should he overtake them? God granted his request and more: He made him “recover all without fail” (1 Samuel 30:8). When we ask in the name of Jesus according to the will of God, His loving nature obliges Him to give even beyond our wishes.
The reason is that when He grants such petitions, it empowers us to partner with Him and to work with heaven for His glory. God answers our prayers so He will be eminently honoured. As others see His goodness in us through the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit we exhibit, they will be inspired and encouraged to come to terms with God.my ways as a check not to go back to that dismal past”. Jesus Christ delivered us from a greater burden: the excruciating body of death. Apostle Paul traces the work of salvation by faith in Jesus our Lord to the time of the covenant God sealed with Abraham when He promised him a seed. The fulfilment of the promise was based on God’s mercy, His Grace, not our fulfilment of the law. Nor was the law a condition for the working out of the promise. When Christians realise this, our stand shall exceed the sobriety and circumspection of the man in our story. We “shall serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling”. We shall preach the gospel to all creatures and in all nations. If all the world is tarnished with sin, we shall vow not to join the multitude.
If all the world forsakes holiness and opts to drink from the cup of idolatry and iniquity, true believers must stand out in righteousness and show forth the praise of God Who has delivered them from darkness into His marvellous light.
Thought for the day: The more we receive from God, the more light we should be to the world.
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 4-6
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
