Hello Dear Listeners, welcome to overcoming temptations. My name is Oyisi. Today our topic is titled: Ask God for grace. Our Bible reading is taken from 2 Chronicles 1:7-12. 7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
8 Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. 9 Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
11 God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”
The same story can been seen in 1 Kings 3:5-13. I read some parts.
7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am 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 numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
So Solomon asked for wisdom or the ability to distinguish between good and evil. Solomon wrote several books of wisdom in the bible which are proverbs, Ecclesiastes and songs of Solomon, so why did the same Solomon marry 1000 wives, worship idols and sin against God? HE who advised other people did he not know these things were wrong and displeasing to God. For sure he did. So the problem is not that people do not know what is right and wrong but it is the grace to choose what is right. So if we were Solomon we could have asked God for wisdom and in addition grace to always choose the right thing. When we obey God we automatically receive the blessings, with little prayers and when we disobey his commands we make our lives unnecessarily complicated. In Deut 28 the bible says: If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. Also in Leviticus 26:3 3 ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.
6 ‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you.
So rather than asking God for prosperity, riches, promotion or money. Ask him to give you the grace to obey him and you shall have everything else you need. Have a blessed day.
