Priority – July 28, 2026
So God said to [Solomon]. . . “I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart.”
1 Kings 3:11-12
Priority
Solomon had just become the next king of Israel. He was about twenty years old. In lavish generosity, the Lord said a breathtaking thing. He said to Solomon, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
“Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” In your prayers right now, what is your most common request? Although we have the high privilege of talking to the Lord about anything, my sinful weakness can show up in my prayer life, too. There are periods in my life when I could fit most of my prayer requests under one big umbrella, and on that umbrella is one big word: “Easier.” I want God to make my life easier. I want him to remove difficulties. I want him to make my life more convenient. I want him to make my world more comfortable. I want him to clear my path of those things that create hardship, pain, loneliness, uncertainty, or grief. And while it’s not wrong to pray for any of these things, if the priority in my prayer life is simply for God to make my life easy, then I have forgotten why I am here. And for such forgetfulness, the Lord calls upon me to repent.
Solomon had the chance to ask for anything—anything at all. He could ask for wealth. He could ask for a long life. He could ask for an easy reign through the removal of his enemies. But he didn’t. Instead, he asked for wisdom. He asked the Lord to give him what he needed to serve in this difficult, broken world.
On our behalf, God the Son came here. In our place, he lived a life of perfect faithfulness. As our substitute, he suffered and died for our every sin. Then he arose. In him we stand forgiven, cleansed, at peace. As you and I now live to shine his light in this dark place, our privilege and priority is to ask the Lord to provide us with what we need to serve him.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for the privilege of asking you for anything. Give me wisdom. Make my priorities your priorities. Amen.
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