Humble Prayer

The Bible tells us that the prayer of Solomon “pleased the Lord” (1 Kings 3:10). It’s a simple phrase that we can read without giving it a second thought. But we ought to. Consider what a big statement that is. The content of Solomon’s prayer evoked pleasure in God’s heart. To imagine that something we ask for can have an impact on the way the Almighty God feels is a remarkable truth we find over and over again throughout the Bible.

Yet as frequently as we read it in Scripture, I find that most of us fail to appreciate what an amazing truth this is. Perhaps because it is much easier to consider that our sinful actions affect God negatively, as when the Bible speaks of the sinful generation prior to the flood saying that they “grieved God to his heart” (Genesis 6:6). But the inverse is also true. “The Lord takes pleasure in his people” (Psalm 149:4), especially, the rest of that verse points out, when they are humble.

That brings us back to Solomon. It was the humility of Solomon’s prayer that brought joy to God’s heart. When prompted by God to lay out his request with the promise that God would do it, Solomon humbly considered his need for wisdom to fulfill his job as the new king of Israel, and boldly asked for it. The Scripture then says, “It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this” (1 Kings 3:10). May the dependent attitude of our hearts bring joy to God’s heart today. May our selfless prayers and our concern for God’s people brighten the disposition of the Lord even now.