How To Pray: Seek First

Join us in 1 Kings 3 as we look at the prayer of Solomon! He knew how to go after the things that really mattered. He teaches us in prayer to seek God first. 

As always, this episode will continue to inspire you to PRESS because Prayer Reaches Every Single Situation!

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Transcript

how-to-pray-seek-first

Press means to apply force. When God said press, prayer reaches every single situation. He gave us permission to apply force to every situation that we will go through.

And in this podcast, we are going to learn to apply force to what's applying pressure to us. Welcome to the press podcast. Let's go.

Hopefully you've been praying today already, but if not, it's a good time to pray. It's a good time to stop. No matter where you're at in your walk with God, whether it's the beginning, middle, end, rough patch, you're living on easy street, it does not matter.

It is always, always fitting to pray. Today in our prayer journey, we're going to the book of 1 Kings chapter 3. And we're meeting a young man by the name of Solomon. Solomon is the son of King David, and he was his successor.

He became king after David. Here we find Solomon just as his father's dying, and he is becoming king. And he's talking to God because the Lord appeared to him in a dream by night.

Now, this is kind of cool that even in his dreams, Solomon is praying. And the Lord is coming to meet him in his dreams. So the Lord appears to Solomon by night, and he says to him, ask what I shall give thee.

Now note, the promises that God had given to David already were that his kingdom would be established, his seat would be established, that he would be with them. Solomon is a benefactor of that promise. But God comes to him and says, what shall I give thee? Solomon could have asked for anything.

He's young, he's a new king. What would you have asked for? I sit and wonder about that. What would I have asked God for? I don't believe it would have been tangible.

But I've thought about it a million times. What would I ask God for? And I actually love wisdom, as does Solomon, obviously. But I love it because you can have a lot of knowledge and a lot of thoughts.

But if you don't know how to execute them or convey them, then it doesn't even matter what's inside of your head because you can't communicate it and you don't know the timing or the how. Wisdom gives you the how of God. When God gives you wisdom, it shows you the order of God, what he wants, how he prioritizes, how he wants to function in it.

And so I love wisdom because it thinks outside of the box. It's so creative. And the wisdom of God is creative on a whole different scale.

You can't begin to measure it. I love that Solomon asked for wisdom. I would like to think I would too, but I love that Solomon asked for wisdom.

In fact, in asking for wisdom, he showed a measure of wisdom. But here, let's look at Solomon's actual words. Verse six says, and Solomon said, thou has shown unto thy servant David, my father, great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with thee.

And thou has kept for him this great kindness that thou has given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day. First of all, Solomon acknowledges, God, you were the God of my father. Everybody can't say that, but to those of you that can, it's a big deal that he's known my family for generations.

I thank God for the people he's saving. And you're new to the church, and you're the first one in your generation. You're the first one to know God in your family.

That is exciting, and that is an amazing testimony. But what you want is the legacy that two, five, 20 generations from now, God has been with my family. So for those of us who do have that legacy already, don't discredit it.

Don't look down upon it. I know sometimes people think, oh, I need to go try this in the world, or I need to go try that in the world. No, stick with the God who knew your grandma, who knew your mama, who knew your cousin.

Stick with that God who's been faithful. He's already dealt with your family issues before, your quirks, your nuances. Stick with the God who's been faithful for generations, because ultimately, whether you're the first generation or the 10th generation, the testimony you want is he's walked with us.

And Solomon is wise enough here to see the value of you've been with my father. And he's humble enough to understand that the promises you gave my father, I didn't deserve those. You are still being faithful to your servant.

He says to God, you've showed him this great kindness this day, that he has a son to sit on his throne. It's not because I'm good I'm here. It's because you remember what you said to my family that I'm here today.

How humble is that? David's gone. He doesn't have to say that. But he recognizes, God, you've been with us.

And that is the testimony. He says, and now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father. And I am but a little child.

I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give, therefore, thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad.

For who is able to judge this thy so great a people? So Solomon asked for a few things here. And we sum it up in using the word wisdom. Because wisdom tells you how.

Wisdom provides insight into using the knowledge that is before you. Wisdom gives a perspective or a direction that's not otherwise seen. He tells God, number one, I recognize I'm just a child.

I can't walk by myself. I can't talk by myself. I can't go out.

I can't come in. In other words, Lord, I'm helpless if you don't help me. He comes to the Lord humbly.

I'm helpless if you don't help me. And now I'm charged with sitting before a great people. These are your people.

I'm honored to serve them. It's not my birthright. It's my honor to serve them.

And he says, so what I need from you is I need a heart that comprehends how to judge your people. I need to know the difference between right and wrong. I can't make decisions if you don't help me.

God, I need your insight. This is the prayer of a phenomenal leader. And it was a prayer he prayed in his dream.

It was all the way rooted in his subconscious. It wasn't a lip service type of thing. It wasn't something he was thinking about and pondering.

This is the kind of heart he lived with. So when he was talking to God in his dream, he still just wanted God's help. He wanted to be a great servant to the people.

He wanted to continue building on what the Lord had given his father. Solomon teaches us a lot here about how to get from God what we need. One is to really need it and to recognize it's him that gives it and that we don't deserve it.

God responds time and time again throughout scripture to humility. He responds to us bowing. He responds to us not looking out for ourselves primarily, but looking out for how he can use us.

Solomon could have asked for anything. He could have asked for money. He could have asked for land, but that's not where his heart was.

What he wanted was to be right. The Bible says in the New Testament in Matthew 6, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. You see, God does give him a lot of stuff.

The Bible says in 1 Kings 3.10, And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. God was impressed. He was happy that this is what Solomon wanted from God.

And God said unto him, Because thou has asked this thing and has not asked for thyself long life, neither has asked riches for thyself, nor has asked the life of thine enemies, but has asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment. Behold, I have done according to thy words. I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after these shall any arise like unto thee.

And I've also given thee that which thou has not asked, both in riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways to keep my statues and my commandments as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. And Solomon awoke.

Understand how God wants to bless. In the day and time we live in, there are so many prosperity preachers, so many offerings in church where they say, Hey, if you give $10, you'll get $10,000 by Friday. If you shout and bring your $700, you'll have $7,000 by Wednesday.

Or if you're broke, it's because you're not doing the Lord's will. There's so many things out there that are false concerning the blessings of God. He didn't come to make us rich down here.

He said, I would that you prosper even as your soul prospers. But it's your soul he cared about first. It's what's going on inside.

And he expects you to prioritize inside over what you can get or earn. I don't know how many people have sold out their church time or their prayer time to make money or to go to a game or to have fun. How many times do we decide doing what we want or even what we think we have to do is more valuable than doing what the Lord is telling us to do.

But if we'll seek first, first in order, first in priority, if we'll seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, you don't have to worry about the other stuff. The Psalmist wrote, I've never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed baking bread. God has a way of taking care of his people.

And when you prioritize God, he knows how to bless you. Today, if you're looking for a blessing from the Lord, go after it, but not pursuing it. Pursue God.

Don't go after it so he'll give you something because God has a way of knowing what you really want and not providing the way you thought he would. He has his own avenues. I've seen him do it where you say, God, I need a thousand dollars in the mail to pay this bill.

And he doesn't necessarily send a thousand dollars. Sometimes he's canceled the bill or had somebody give you part of it or whatever way he wants. We don't predict God's answers.

We don't plan God, but plan to follow him, plan to prioritize him, plan to make him first in your life and seek the things of God that can be used to please God in your service to him and to his people. And when you prioritize God, watch him bless you. Solomon teaches us how you pray a prayer that God can bless.

You go after the things that will help you be more godly and help you serve his people. Today, I pray that it is your goal to be the ultimate servant of God and that you'll seek him first. Just watch.

You'll be able to testify that prayer reaches every single situation. Join the movement, join the community, like, share, and subscribe to this podcast. Visit us at PressToPray.com or find us on Instagram or Facebook.

Did you know that when you are quiet, your voice is missing to God's ears? I know some of us have prayed and we're wondering how long should I pray about this? Why should I pray if God already knows? How will I know God is answering? And what do I do when I feel like God's not listening but God is listening for your voice? It's too quiet in this world for the troubles we have. You have to raise your voice and God wants to hear from you. It's Too Quiet, a book about prayer, is designed to answer your prayer questions and build your faith.

Visit PressToPray.com.