Imagine you are 20 years of age and God says to you, ‘ASK! What shall I give you?’ He asked King Solomon this, when he became king of Israel at the age of 20:
‘At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ASK! What shall I give you?’, 1 Kings chapter 3 verse 5. Solomon’s reply was perhaps surprising for a young man: ‘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?’, 1 Kings chapter 3 verse 9. Solomon’s response ‘pleased the Lord’, verse10. Many years later, James wrote in the New Testament, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ASK of God’, James chapter 1 verse 5.

If we want our prayers to please God, we must ensure that they are in accordance with His will. So often we pray in line with our own will and focus on the things that give us, rather than God, pleasure. If we fail to pray in the right spirit, we will miss the thrill that Solomon experienced: ‘Then God said to him . . . I have ALSO GIVEN, you what you have not asked: both riches and honour . . . I will lengthen your days’, 1 Kings chapter 3 verses 13-14. He learned, through experience, that God ‘gives liberally and without reproach’, James chapter 1 verse 5.

As you meditate on these truths, challenge yourself with these questions:

• When did I last ASK God for anything? We have a God who loves us to ASK.

We miss so much blessing, when we fail to ASK.

• If I have ASKED, have my requests been self-centered or in line with His will?

Will they please Him?

• Have I ASKED in faith, believing that God will give what I have asked for?’

James chapter 1 verse 6?