I began today with the two most important tools in my arsenal: coffee, and the Word of God, not in that order of course. As I read a familiar passage in 1 Chronicles 22 today, something new jumped out at me. As King David was about to die, he called his son, Solomon, to himself. This is what he prayed for his son,
“And may the LORD give you wisdom and understanding, that you may obey the law of the LORD your God as you rule over Israel. For if you carefully obey the laws and regulations that the LORD gave to Israel through Moses, you will be successful. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or lose heart.”
Later, after David had passed, and Solomon (his son) was king, God appeared to Solomon in a dream. The story is recorded in 2 Chronicles 1:7 -11
“That night God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, ‘What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you?’ Solomon replied to God, ‘You have been so faithful and kind to my father, David, and now you have made me king in this place. Now Lord God, please keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! Give me wisdom and knowledge to rule them properly, for who is able to govern this great nation of Yours?”
God said to Solomon, ‘Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for personal wealth and honor or the death of your enemies or even a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people, I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge that you requested. And I will give you riches, wealth and honor such as no other king has ever had before you or will ever have again!”
As I learned this story in church, as a child, I was always amazed that Solomon asked for wisdom, when he could have asked for anything, but I never saw the correlation between David’s prayer for him, and this request that Solomon made. This reply to God by Solomon was an idea of David’s planted into the heart and mind of Solomon. Solomon didn’t just come up with this. Solomon received this from David.
David was a very powerful king, he could have prayed something like this for Solomon,
“And may God give you great wealth, and the power to subdue your enemies.” But that is NOT what David prayed. Solomon’s heart was shaped by his parent’s prayers, and so will my children’s heart be shaped by my desires and prayers, and yours, by your desires and prayers.
We all want our children to do great things. May God grant us a heart like David, to pray for our children to have wisdom and understanding, and thus TRUE success.
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness. And ALL these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 6:33
