Bible Lesson: Answered Prayer:
Solomon Prays For An Understanding Heart.
Subject Of Prayer: Solomon
Prays For Wisdom.
Bible Texts:
I Kings 3:5-14 NLT
5 That night The Lord appeared to
Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I
will give it to you!”
6 Solomon replied, “You showed great
and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was
honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show
this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit
on his throne.
7 “Now, O Lord my God, you have made
me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who
doesn’t know his way around.
8 And here I am in the midst of your
own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be
counted!
9 Give me an understanding heart so
that I can govern your people well and know the difference between
right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great
people of yours?”
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon
had asked for wisdom.
11 So God replied, “Because you have
asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not
asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—
12 I will give you what you asked for!
I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else
has had or ever will have!
13 And I will also give you what you
did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world
will be compared to you for the rest of your life!
14 And if you follow Me and obey My
decrees and My commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a
long life.”
15 Then Solomon woke up and realized it
had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and stood before The Ark
Of The Lord’s Covenant, where he sacrificed burnt offerings and
peace offerings. Then he invited all his officials to a great
banquet.
Solomon asked this petition of The
Lord:
I Kings 3:9 NLT
Give me an
understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know
the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to
govern this great people of yours?”
I Kings 3:10-14
NLT The Lord's reply.
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon
had asked for wisdom.
11 So God replied, “Because you have
asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not
asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—
12 I will give you what you asked
for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one
else has had or ever will have!
13 And I will also give you what you
did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world
will be compared to you for the rest of your life!
14 And if you
follow Me and obey My decrees and My commands as your father, David,
did, I will give you a long life.”
Does God hear and
answer prayer, even in our dreams?
Solomon would be
the first to answer, yes!
Sweet hour of
prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from
a world of care,
And bids me at my
Father’s throne
Make all my wants
and wishes known.
In seasons of
distress and grief,
My soul has often
found relief,
And oft escaped
the tempter’s snare,
By thy return,
sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of
prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel,
the bliss I share,
Of those whose
anxious spirits burn
With strong
desires for thy return!
With such I hasten
to the place
Where God my
Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my
station there,
And wait for thee,
sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of
prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my
petition bear
To Him whose truth
and faithfulness
Engage the waiting
soul to bless.
And since He bids
me seek His face,
Believe His Word
and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him
my every care,
And wait for thee,
sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of
prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy
consolation share,
Till, from Mount
Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and
take my flight.
This robe of flesh
I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the
everlasting prize,
And shout, while
passing through the air,
“Farewell,
farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”
William B.
Bradbury
P.D. 1861
The first example
of Solomon's wisdom is recorded in this same chapter (I King
3:16-28).
Does God Hear And
Answer Prayer?
Joshua
10:14 KJV
And there was
no day like that before it or after it, that The Lord hearkened unto
the voice of a man: for The Lord fought for Israel.
Nehemiah 9:27
KJV
in the time of
their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
I Chronicles
16:11 KJV
Seek The Lord
and His strength, seek His face continually.
Nehemiah 9:27
KJV
in the time of
their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
Job 22:27 KJV
Thou shalt make
thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear thee..."
Psalm 6:9 KJV
The Lord hath
heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.
Psalm 55:17 KJV
Evening, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear
my voice.
Psalm 65:2 KJV
O thou that
hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
Psalm 66:19 KJV
But verily God
hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psalm 88:1,2 KJV
1 O lord God of
my Salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
2 Let my prayer
come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
Psalm 91:15 KJV
He shall call
upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will
deliver him, and honor him.
Psalm 99:6,8 KJV
6 "...they
called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
8 Thou
answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest
them..."
Psalm 102:17 KJV
He will regard
the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
Psalm 122:6 KJV
Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Proverbs 15:8,29
KJV
8 The sacrifice
of the wicked is an abomination to The Lord: but the prayer of the
upright is His delight.
29 The Lord is
far from the wicked: but He heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Isaiah 38:5 KJV
“...I have
heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears...”
Isaiah 56:7 KJV
"... for
Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Isaiah 58:9 KJV
Then shalt thou
call, and The Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say,
Here I am...:"
Isaiah 65;24 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they
are yet speaking, I will hear.
Jeremiah 29:13
KJV
And ye shall
seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your
heart.
Jeremiah 33:3
KJV
Call unto Me,
and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which
thou knowest not.
Zechariah 13:9
KJV
And I will
bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver
is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My
name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they
shall say, The Lord is my God.
Joel 2:32 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of The Lord shall
be delivered..."
Matthew 5:44 KJV
But I say unto
you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you;
Matthew 6:6 KJV
But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 7:7,8
KJV
7 Ask, and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:
8 For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 18:19,20
KJV
19 Again I say
unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any
thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father
which is in heaven.
20 For where
two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the
midst of them.
Matthew 21:22
KJV
And all things,
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Matthew 26:41
KJV
Watch and pray,
that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak.
Mark 11:24,25
KJV
24 Therefore I
say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye
stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your
Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Luke 11:9,10 KJV
9 And I say
unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every
one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 18:1,7,8
KJV
1 And He spake
a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and
not to faint;
7 "...don’t
you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry
out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?
8 I tell you,
He will grant justice to them quickly! But when The Son Of Man
returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?”
Luke 21:36 KJV
Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before The Son
Of Man.
John 14:13,14
KJV
13 And
whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that The Father
may be glorified in The Son.
14 If ye shall
ask any thing in My name, I will do it.
John 15:7,16 KJV
7 If ye abide
in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you.
16 Ye have not
chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that
whatsoever ye shall ask of The Father in My name, He may give it you.
John 16:23,24
KJV
23 And in that
day ye shall ask Me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall ask
The Father in
My name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto
have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that
your joy may be full.
Ephesians 6:18
KJV
Praying always
with all prayer and supplication in The Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Philippians 4:6
NLT
Don’t worry
about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you
need, and thank Him for all He has done.
Colossians 4:2
NLT
Devote
yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
I Thessalonians
5:17 KJV
Pray without
ceasing.
I Timothy 2:8
KJV
I will
therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting.
James 1:6 KJV
But let him ask
in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
James 4:8 KJV
Draw nigh to
God, and he will draw nigh to you
James
5:13-16 KJV
13 Is any among
you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick
among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of The Lord:
15 And the
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and The Lord shall raise him up;
and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.
I Peter 4:7 KJV
But the end of
all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
I John 3:22 KJV
And whatsoever
we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in His sight.
I John 5:14,15
KJV
14 And this is
the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing
according to His will, He heareth us:
15 And if we
know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of Him.
Revelation 8:3-5 NLT (Prayers heard and kept)
3 Then another
angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a
great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of
God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.
4 The smoke of
the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended
up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.
5 Then the
angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar..."
