Lessons We Can Learn From Solomons Prayer
Acknowledge Past Blessings
Solomon began his prayer by acknowledging the past blessings that God has given to his father, David. Remembering and recounting how much God has done for you in the past is a good habit to adopt, especially in petition prayers. Because it expresses your appreciation and gratitude for God, who chose to bless you.
Humble Yourselves Before God
King Solomon inherited the throne of David and was ruling over Israel. Despite his royal status, Solomon knows that it was nothing compared to God. He displays great humility in verse 7 when he identified himself as a little child in front of God. It is Solomons way of saying I cant do this. The job is so much bigger than what I can handle, I must rely on God.When we come to God in prayer, do we truly humble ourselves before Him?
Asking For Understanding Is Also Part Of Wisdom
In verse 9, Solomon asks for a discerning heart, a heart to understand what is right and wrong. This goes beyond asking for knowing what is right and wrong. We cannot gain wisdom if we know without understanding. Solomon realizes this and thus asks God to fill him with understanding, not mere knowledge. This is how we should ask for wisdom.
Asking God For What We Need, Not Want
Most Powerful Prayers In The Bible
Modified: Jun 17, 2022
There are many powerful prayers in the Bible that have been made by various characters. Prayers in the Bible usually consist of prayers for protection, for strength, of thanksgiving and adoration, repentance, and many others. And all of these characters humbly surrendered themselves to God through prayers. With their faith, they saw how God worked miraculously in their lives.
All prayers in the Bible are powerful on their own. God doesnt look at the length of our pleas and requests or how perfectly prayers were created. He doesnt look at a persons status in society but at the status of their hearts. God shows his unconditional love and unfailing grace to everyone who has faith in Him. The Bible is timeless and its words are our guide to life. So when we need encouragement, turn to these prayers in the Bible and be filled.
All The Prayers Of The Bible
All The Prayers Of The BibleHerbert Lockyers All The Prayers Of The BiblePrayer in the Old TestamentGenesisExodusLeviticusDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuthII SamuelI KingsII KingsI ChroniclesII ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherThe PsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesJeremiahLamentationsEekielHoseaPrayers and Prayer in the New TestamentPrayer As Practiced by ChristMatthewJohnActsRomansI CorinthiansII CorinthiansGalatiansPhilippiansColossiansI ThessaloniansII ThessaloniansI TimothyII TimothyTitusPhilemonJamesI PeterII PeterI John
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The Prayer Of Jesus For His Disciples
From His request concerning Himself our Lord quickly turned to the needs of His disciples, for it is in them that He had been glorified . And it was in them our Lord would be glorified after His resurrection and ascension.
The request of the Lord Jesus was founded upon several factors.
First, He accomplished His earthly task of revealing the Father to the disciples . It is interesting to note how positively the faith of the disciples is stated. I believe the perspective of the Savior throughout this prayer is from the other side of the cross. Our Lord assumed the fact of His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. From the other side of the cross the disciples would be fully assured concerning all Jesus said and did to reveal the Father to them.
Second, our Lord assumed the consummation of His ministry in the work of the cross. Our Lord prayed, Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, the name which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as we are . The request of Jesus is based upon the name which the Father has given to Him. In Philippians chapter two we are told that, as a result of His humiliation and obedience unto death, the Father gave Him a name above every other . That name, I believe, is the name Jesus . Jesus meant Yahweh is salvation.
Condition: If You Are Willing
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Jesus states a condition in this desperate prayer: “If you are willing….” This is a bit different from Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts:
“If it is possible….” “Everything is possible for you.”
But the difference is only on the surface. What the Father wills is possible. Jesus is asking if the Father can, in the realm of his will and purpose, create a way for Jesus to avoid the cross. Luke records the absolute condition of his prayer, “If you are willing….” The Greek word is boulomai, used primarily in the New Testament, as in Hellenistic Judaism, in the sense of “wishing, desiring, intending.”7
Yes, the will of God is great and creative. We can fail and get out of the will of God, and when we surrender again, God can create a whole new future for us. But Jesus’ desire is for the Father’s best, for the Father’s highest, for the Father’s desire and intention. Only if Jesus’ prayer can be answered within the scope of his Father’s intention does he want it answered. Only then. Only if you are desirous, my Father.
Jesus takes time to listen. Matthew and Mark record the fact that Jesus prayed this prayer three different times on that long, long evening in Gethsemane. Three times.
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On Earth As It Is In Heaven
No King is a King without a kingdom to rule. Christ is telling all those listening to align themselves with Gods will to have their hearts in a position to say, You, Oh God, our Father, are ruler of heaven and earth, and sovereign over all the universe. Come establish Your sovereignty in my heart and the hearts of all men, even on the earth itself. As believers pray this, they are proclaiming a desire for Gods will over their life, family, church, the lost, etc. they are to do so, while waiting and allowing the Lord to share His heart and will with them. The biggest difference between a defeated, dismal, lukewarm Christian and a victorious, vibrant one, is in whether or not God, the Holy Spirit, has control of their life. Has He taken sovereignty as well as residence in the soul, establishing within them His Kingdom?
How Many Times Did Jesus Pray In The Bible
There is no definitive answer to this question, as we do not know exactly how many times Jesus prayed throughout His life. However, we do know that He was a man of prayer and that He spent a lot of time talking to God.
In the Bible, there are several instances where it is mentioned that Jesus prayed, such as in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the cross, and in His high priestly prayer. So although we cannot say for certain how often Jesus prayed, we can be sure that it was a regular and important part of His life.
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The Prayer Of Submission
The content of Jesus’ prayer, no doubt heard and remembered by disciples who later fell asleep, is remarkable.
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me yet not my will, but yours be done.”
The prayer has four parts:
Let’s look at each part in turn.
Solomons Prayer For Guidance
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Prayers in Bible for wisdom and guidance are common because we do need them. King Solomons prayer for guidance is one of the most famous and powerful prayers in the bible.
1 Kings 3: 5-10 At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, Ask for whatever you want me to give you.6 Solomon answered, You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
7 Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern these great people of yours?10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.
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Lessons We Can Learn From Hezekiahs Prayer
In Troubling Times, Seek God First
The immediate action Hezekiah took after receiving a letter of battle that ridiculed his faith in God was to seek God in hopeful prayer and petition. Neither did Hezekiah complain nor wallow in self-pity. He simply chose God. As a child bringing his broken toy to his father for repair, so Hezekiah laid the issues in Gods sight for resolution.
In verses 15 to 16, Hezekiah took the time to establish and acknowledge Gods identity as the King of majesties. Watch how after Hezekiah declared God is God alone, he recognized Gods power as the maker of heaven and earth. In recognizing this power, Hezekiahs faith and courage began rising! Likewise, when we pray, make declarations! Declarations strengthen your courage.
When You Seek for Deliverance, Remember It Is for Gods Glory
Note how Hezekiah ended off his prayer in verse 19 so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.. Hezekiahs request for deliverance was not rooted in self-interest but Gods. He asks for deliverance so that God may be glorified. When we face trials and challenges, it is okay to ask for deliverance from God. But the best pleas are those for Gods honor. This is why the Lords prayer begins with Hallowed be thy name and ends with For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. All glory to our God.
When You Seek For Courage, Be Certain
Why Is God Not A Vending Machine
Firstly, our Father is relational having personhood. With God, we do not see a Heath Bar, press E4, and leave unchanged. We petition Him and are changed after dialogue. The very nature of this relationship changes us. Secondly, our Father only gives good gifts, and our preference may prove harmful. After weve petitioned God, the Heath Bar is not promised, but He will answer with a guaranteed good gift.
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Prayers From The Old Testament
Hannahs Prayer : Then Hannah prayed and said: My heart rejoices in the Lord In the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, For I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord There is no one besides you There is no Rock like our God. Do not keep talking so proudly Or let your mouth speak such arrogance, For the Lord is a God who knows, And by him deeds are weighed.
The bows of the warriors are broken, But those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, But those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, But she who has had many sons pines away. The Lord brings death and makes alive He brings down to the grave and raises up.
The Lord sends poverty and wealth He humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap He seats them with princes And has them inherit a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lords On them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, But the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
It is not by strength that one prevails Those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king And exalt the horn of his anointed.
Submission: Not My Will But Yours
And now he prays the fourth part of this prayer of desperation:
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me yet not my will, but yours be done.”
He prays, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.” In this last part of 12:42, the noun “will” is Greek thelma. By New Testament times, the thel word group means much the same as the boulomai word group discussed above on 22:42a. In 22:42d, thelma means, “preference, will.”11The conjunction used here is Greek pln. It is part of a grammatical construction that indicates “on the one hand … nevertheless” or “indeed … but.” It is a strong adversative.12In spite of Jesus’ petition, this clause stands: Your will is primary, mine is secondary. Jesus yields, submits, surrenders to the Father’s decision. Jesus has a preference — that the cup be removed. But he voluntarily surrenders that preference if the Father’s will differs.
Too often we make the mistake of praying surrender prayers without ever owning up to our own will in the matter. Instead of petitioning God to do any specific thing at all, we pray: “Let your will be done.” That is good, but that is not real petition, and sometimes it can be a cop-out for determining how we really should pray. It is not wrong to come to God with a preference. But, following Jesus, after we have clearly stated our preference openly, it is then appropriate to pray, “yet not my will, but yours be done.”
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Pauls Prayer For Wisdom And Spiritual Growth
There are many prayers in the Bible made by Paul that we can learn from. Paul truly chased after Gods heart and everywhere he went, he preached about God. He also helped pioneer the church in Ephesus and had not seen them in years. Hence, he wrote a letter containing his prayer for wisdom for the Ephesians, asking God to bless them with the Spirit of wisdom that leads to spiritual growth.
Ephesians 1: 15-20 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all Gods people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.
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A Study Of The Lords Prayer
This instruction on how to pray from Jesus, comes as part of a much larger teaching. The Lords Prayer, as it is referred to today, came as a portion of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus had just taught that He had come to fulfill the law. He went on to teach about the evils of anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and to teach that all who were listening were supposed to love their enemies and to pray for them. He continues by telling them that, when they pray, they are not to pray as hypocrites.
Jesus must have given this lesson more than once, because in Lukes account, Jesus repeats his instruction on how to pray. One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. He said to them, When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. and lead us not into temptation . Jesus follows this abbreviated teaching on how to pray with a story, as He was often known to do, illustrating what He had just taught.
Jesus gave a simple six-step pattern to follow, known as the Lords Prayer. Jesus didnt intend for the disciples to simply pray the same words he spoke in Matthew 6:9 He intended it to be an outline for prayer. The example was to be a guideline to help keep their prayer-time on track. Pray, then, in this way.
The Sons Petition At Gethsemane
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.
Matthew 26:39, 42, 44 ESV
Let us look to the Fathers response to this request. The Father denied Jesus request to let the cup pass. The Father did not deny the petition because Jesus prayed poorly or unrighteously. To let the cup pass would be counter to the Fathers will. The same will that benefits all offering salvation to all, bringing His children home, and glorifying Christ. If the cup had passed, none would benefit.
As in this prayer, sometimes our Father does not grant our request. However, Gods response is always a good gift. Søren Kierkegaard worded it eloquently, This is our comfort, because God answers every prayer for either he gives what we pray for or something far better. While approaching with a petition, Jesus finishes with submission. Likewise, we can have the confidence to approach our Father first with our request, understanding that our petition may turn to submission.
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