“himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great” II Chronicles 1:1 (NIV)
I noticed something this morning when I was hanging the laundry outside and chatting with God. I was telling Him about my problems, issues that while not insurmountable, seemed big to me, but really, in the grand scheme of things, could be issues only for a season or two. And it was during that prayer time I realized, I’ve been going about my conversations with God all wrong.
Instead of praying for resolution from the symptoms, I needed to start praying earnestly for resolution of the root problem. For instance, instead of me praying for God to help me lose weight and exercise regularly, I need to ask God to reveal to me why I turn to food instead of Him when happy, sad, angry, worried, excited … Once He reveals to me the root of the problem, then I can ask for healing from that, and the symptoms will slowly disappear.
God brought King Solomon to mind. II Chronicles 1 tells the story of King Solomon establishing “himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great” (verse 1, NIV). A little while later, God comes to King Solomon and tells him in verse 7, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” And instead of asking for help out of financial problems, a new wife, more cattle, he chose … wisdom and knowledge because it was his desire to lead well the people God entrusted to him.
As a result, because he was humble and didn’t ask for selfish desires, God gave him wisdom, knowledge AND riches; in fact, he has been described as the wealthiest person ever recorded … ever.
By remembering King’s Solomon’s story, I realized whatever problem I was complaining about to God (and there were several this particular morning), I needed to ask Him for what was really important … a heart change. God showed me when my heart changed and I desired to be more like Him daily, all the symptoms I was complaining about above would slowly disappear.
Financial issues? If my heart is aligned with God’s, then I will want to stay within our family budget, get rid of debt and be able to bless others more with our excess instead of living paycheck to paycheck. Eating issues? Same – if my heart truly wants to obey God’s principles, then I will learn how to live within the boundaries of self-control, giving up my love of food for the overwhelming love I have for my Father. Fill in the blank with whatever problem you are facing today and the answer will be the same.
God used King Solomon’s story to remind me about what is truly important … and when I ask for that, the rest will always fall into place.
© Cheri Swalwell 2019