The Ancient Prayer for a Discerning Heart

[00:00:03] Speaker A: Welcome to the Erickson Covenant Podcast. We're so glad that you've joined us today. We confess that we don't have all the answers, but as a community, we seek to find and follow Jesus and to discover daily the life he has always wanted for us. We hope this message will be encouraging and will inspire you to take the next steps on your spiritual journey. If we can help you in any way, please connect with us. The easiest way is through our website at Erickson Covenant ca. Let's get started. [00:00:37] Speaker B: Welcome here. It's good to be with you. Good to be with you this morning. My name is Tom. I'm the pastor here, and it's my privilege this morning to bring our series to you. We're continuing our teaching series called Ancient Prayers for Today where we're digging back into the Old Testament. That's the whole part of the Bible that's before Jesus. It's all about Jesus, but it's before he came. We're digging into the Old Testament story of God's people in order to unearth some maybe forgotten prayer treasures. Prayer treasures that are both beautiful and useful for our lives today. Last week, we looked at the simple prayer of young Samuel, speak for your servant is listening. It's a beautiful little prayer, and it really set the tone, I think, for this series. And it sets the tone for our lives, doesn't it? Especially those moments in your life where you are wanting to hear from the Lord. You're spending time in prayer, perhaps, or maybe you've opened your Bible and you're trying to understand what it says. Speak for your servant is listening. And if you missed that series or that message last week or any of our series, they're always available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and our website. And I know hit and miss during the summer being what it is, it's easier to catch up or keep up with the series knowing that. So just wanted to remind you that that's true. Prayer, of course, is basic to our life with God. We know this, of course. Sometimes we say that and we kind of feel bad because I know, we think, oh, man, we should pray more. I get it. Me, too. But we know that prayer is basic to our life with God, just like conversation is crucial for our human relationships. You know how awkward it would be to live with someone for years and never really talk to them. Maybe some of you grew up in homes like that. Brutal, right? But prayer is meant to be this conversation. It's a beautiful way that we grow in friendship with the Father through the Son. By the Holy Spirit. Just think, our triune God wants to commune with us, wants to be in communion with you, friendship with you. And so he brings us into this holy conversation, this holy conversation that has been going on for all eternity between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But now in includes us, me and you. I mean, that's what prayer is. We're invited to participate in that holy conversation both as listeners but also as speakers. We're invited to speak into it, to be part of the conversation. What a privilege, eh? It's amazing. It's lovely. And of course, learning to engage in that conversation with our triune God, learning to enjoy that holy conversation is a lifelong adventure and a blessing. But sometimes, if we're honest, the prayers that we do pray seem perhaps less than a holy conversation and more of a God's to do list. Are you with me? Where we are regularly informing him of the things that he needs to complete or change or answer or stop or don't forget about that. And we can end up asking and asking and asking, but never really listening. And then I think, end up missing out on the rich back and forth nature of this holy conversation that God really desires to have with his children. Well, having said that, though this is so important, even though we understand that prayer needs to be this holy conversation and we want to engage that and enjoy that, this speaking and this listening. Even though we know we shouldn't only be asking for stuff when we, you know, decide to pray, God in his grace, does tell us to ask for what we need. He really wants you to ask him for stuff. Jesus wasn't shy about this central aspect of prayer. He said to ask the Father for what you need. I mean, it's even a line in the Lord's Prayer, right? Say it with me. Give us this day our daily bread, right? And in that same section, he said, you know your Heavenly Father, he knows what you need before you ask Him. But then we're told to ask and to seek and to knock and to do it with confidence because our heavenly Father hears us. So yes, let's enjoy that conversation back and forth with God, but also let's not be shy to ask him for the things that we need. And so here's the question. What if God showed up one day and told you that you really could ask him for something, for anything, and whatever you ask for, he'd give it to you? You know, if you grew up like me, listening to the fabled stories of Aladdin, you're immediately thinking of the genie, right? Popping out of the lamp? No? Anyone? How many of you were raised on the 1992 Aladdin version where Robin Williams made the Blue Genie so hilarious, so famous? A few of you, yes. Or maybe you watch your kids watch it. I don't know. But, you know, you can kind of empathize with the question, because I'm sure somewhere along the way you thought, well, what would I ask for if I was given that chance? You know, Makes for a fun dinner conversation, by the way. It really tells you about who you're eating with when you get them to give some honest answers to that one. Well, in our New Testament story today, God, who is most definitely not a genie and doesn't pop out of a lamp, does in fact show up and ask just that. If God did that to you, what would you ask for? Seriously, think about it. Think about it just for a moment. Think seriously. What would I ask for? If there's one thing, not three in this case, just one thing. But you could ask for anything and God would give it to you. Considering all that's going on in your life, considering what's challenging you the most, considering who you are and what you need, and trying to take everything into consideration, what's the one thing you'd ask for? Because that's what happened to King Solomon in the story that we just heard. Solomon is renowned for his wisdom, isn't he? But that's not actually how he started out. In fact, Solomon's birth was shrouded in shame because he's the son of David and Bathsheba. And some of you are thinking, what? Ding, ding. Yeah, those two, that's whose son this is. Solomon was their second son because their first son died under God's judgment for that illicit union and for the murder of Bathsheba's husband. Welcome to the story of God's people. Right? And so it might come as a bit of a surprise to find out that this is the boy. This boy Solomon is the one who gets picked up to succeed his father, King David. But that's God for you, right? He's always overturning our expectations and surprising us with how his grace overcomes shame and who exactly it is that he calls to accomplish his purposes, right? It's always a bit of a surprise. But today we're landing in the story much later. Solomon is already on the throne. His father David is already dead. Solomon's already bested his rival brothers, and he's eliminated some immediate threats to his rule. You can read about that in chapter two of First Kings he's made an alliance with Pharaoh. He's moving ahead. And now all the weight of his father's kingdom is resting on his young shoulders. All the covenant promises that have been given, all the accumulative power, with all the dreams, as well as all the dangers that come with kingly rule, what does Solomon need the most? What would really help him succeed? What would secure his kingdom and extend his reign? What's the one thing that would make all the difference? And right there at the start of his rule, God shows up to ask Solomon what it is that he wants. So let's pick it up. The story is in 1 Kings chapter 3. Feel free to read along in your Bible on your phone. There's extra Bibles in the chairs in front of you. Some of it will be on the screen. Not all of it. Some. But I will read it out for us. So we're starting in 1 Kings, chapter 3. This is 1 of the historical books of the Old Testament. And we're going to start with verse 4. The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place. And Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 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. There it is. No lamps, no genies, just the God of heaven and earth asking you what you want. Ask me for whatever you want me to give you. So what does Solomon ask for? Let's back up for a minute. If you were Solomon in that moment, what would you have asked for? Be honest with yourself. And we just heard the story and you know, so even if the story is new to you, you already know what Solomon asked for. But if you can just kind of step back for just a moment and try to imagine and be truly honest about it. What is it that you would have asked if you were in his place? Knowing what I know about myself, my aversion to conflict, my high desire that everyone get along. It's a sin pattern, by the way. I think I would have asked for peace. Like, no conflict. I don't want any fights, please, just for years. No conflict. That's what I'm just telling you. Honest. That's what I would ask for. A good long reign with no enemies at all. I want everyone to like me. Did I mention that was a sin pattern? Yes, but what about you? What would you have asked for if you were Solomon at that moment? You know, there's just so many things that Solomon could have asked for right. Things that would have advantaged him in some way, things that would have ensured his success, secured his domain, things that would have exalted him or made his life easy or long or comfortable. And God even details some of those possibilities. In his response, Solomon could have asked for all the obvious standard self serving things that people would normally ask their genies, I mean their gods, I mean God. But Solomon doesn't ask those things. How does he first respond? Well, first Solomon acknowledges that his kingdom rests on God's kindness, both his kindness to his father David and then by extension to him as his son. In verse 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 to this very day. In other words, Solomon recognizes he's not the king because of something he's done. His kingdom is an act of God's grace and it rests on the shoulders of David's faithfulness. And already we see something of young Solomon's character emerging. It's only then that Solomon makes his big ask, which is our ancient prayer for today, the one we're going to focus on. And it's a surprising one. Listen to this. Verse 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. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours? God tells Solomon to ask for whatever he wants. And what does Solomon ask for? In great humility, Solomon asks for nothing more than a discerning heart to govern God's people, to distinguish between right and wrong. That's his basic prayer. Lord, I want to be a good king, so give me a discerning heart. Now we'll swing back to unpack Solomon's prayer in a bit, but let's just finish walking through the story because God's response to us helps us understand some of its significance. Verse 10. The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, since you've asked for this, not for long life or wealth for yourself, not asked for the death of your enemies, but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there never will have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for, both wealth and honor, so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands, as David, your father did, I will give you a long life. Then Solomon awoke, and he realized it had been a dream. Let's explore this interaction between Yahweh and Solomon and see how this ancient prayer is relevant for us today. First, Solomon's humility forms the foundation of this prayer. Did you notice that not only did Solomon acknowledge right off the bat that his kingship was not something of his own doing, but a result of God's kindness and David's faithfulness? He then recognized that he actually lacks what he needs the most to be the king of the kingdom he's been given? I'm only a little child, he says. I don't know how to carry out my duties. It takes great humility to admit your inadequacies, doesn't it? Solomon has been given a daunting task governing God's covenant people. And he knows that this task is far greater than his wisdom or his ability. Solomon may be the king by right, but he's not yet equipped to be the right king. And so Solomon humbly asks for the help that he needs to accomplish the task he's been given. He asks for a discerning heart, not a comfortable life. He doesn't pray for things that would secure his position as a king over his people. He asks for the one thing that would make him a better servant of his people. Humility forms the foundation of his prayer. And the same goes for us. As we pray, we can follow suit, asking for what we truly need the most. Like Solomon, God is calling each one of us and has a calling on each one of us. He has placed you in the position, in the relationships, in the families, in the neighborhoods. He's placed you where you are because he wants to work in you and through you, right where you are. God has a good plan for each one of us, a plan that will bring him glory and bring your neighbor good. But if we're humble enough to admit it, we don't have in and of ourselves what it takes to fulfill God's calling in our lives. We aren't good enough. We aren't smart enough. We aren't strong enough. We aren't pure enough. And there are many times, if we're honest, we just don't know what to do. We don't know what to say. We don't know how to actually pursue the things that God has for us. And when we begin to realize what God actually wants to do through us, how he wants to reveal his goodness and his love through us, how he wants to change lives through us, how he wants us to be beacons of hope in the world, how he wants us sharing all that Jesus desires for the and the women and the children who are in your lives, and revealing that in the way you're loving and speaking. When we realize what God actually wants to do through us, we can feel very inadequate. And that's the moment we realize that without God, we can do nothing, zip, nada. But with him, all things are possible. With him, we can accomplish what he desires with the gifts, with the filling of the Holy Spirit, with His presence in our lives. It doesn't matter what task he's given us, he will equip us for what he's been calling us into. But knowing our inadequacy brings us to humility. And we simply ask for what we truly need to be the people that God has called us to be. Humility forms the foundation of our prayers too. The second thing we notice here is that Solomon's calling, this big calling of his, frames the content of his prayer. Solomon's prayer for a discerning heart is so significant, and it's actually the only place in all of the Old Testament where this phrase is used. What Solomon asks for here, quite literally, is he asks for a listening heart, that is a heart that is specifically attuned to Yahweh. And listening to his word, Solomon knows that it's only with a listening heart that he will be able to actually govern God's people, to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. To administer justice more than anything else, Solomon needs a heart that hears more than wealth, more than long life, more than success or security. Solomon knows that he can only fulfill his calling to be the king over Israel if he listens to Yahweh. If you know the story of Solomon, you wish he would have kept that up. But here at the beginning, grounded in humility, it's Solomon's big calling that frames the content of his great prayer. As I dug into this, I found it very interesting how Solomon's prayer for a listening heart dovetails beautifully with Samuel's prayer speak for your servant is listening, which we explored last week. Both young men, at the beginning of their call, at the beginning of their ministry, they understand themselves as listening Servants as attentive responders to God's speaking voice so that what they do flows from what God says. Both pray to God with the shema, their lips, so that even their prayer is a posture of shema. Shema, you might remember we explored this a little bit more last week, is the Hebrew word for hear and obey. They're the same, they have the same meaning. And it's the central command of the covenant From Deuteronomy chapter 6, where we hear the words hear or shema. O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. That shema command that hear. Command to hear is everything to God's covenant people. Because without hearing, we can't receive God's revelation. Without hearing, we can't know who God is or who we are. Without hearing, we can't know how we are to live. We can't respond to God. We can't be the people that God has called us to be. Without hearing, we can't be in this relationship with the God who's made us in his image. We can't serve him as we have been called to serve. Everything starts with hearing. Everything starts with Shema. And we can see that both Samuel and Solomon, it's like they pray the shema in into their lives, they pray it into their calling. They know that they're first called to hear, and so they position themselves as hearers, as listeners. So with all that going on, why do most translations, English translations, that is, say, an understanding heart or a discerning heart? Why don't they just simply translate it a listening heart, which is the literal Hebrew? Well, it's because of Solomon's emphasis on his inadequacies, his need to govern, his need to administer and distinguish between right and wrong, that this request for a listening heart is properly translated as a discerning heart or an understanding heart? Because that's the purpose of his prayer. He lacks wisdom for the job he's been given, so he asks for it, in fact, over in the parallel story in two Chronicles, because what happens in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings, four books get squished into two first and second Chronicles. And it's a lot of the same stories, certainly the same characters in it, over in second Chronicles, chapter one, where this same story is told, Solomon's Prayer is precisely this. This is what he says to God in the dream, verse 10, give me wisdom and knowledge that I may lead this people. For who is able to govern this great people of yours. Much more succinct to the point he's asking for wisdom and knowledge. So even though we can rightly think of this prayer as a prayer for wisdom, and I think we should, or even a discerning heart, we need to remember though that Solomon isn't just asking for a big brain. You know, he's not asking for just raw intellectual. I want to be able to really snap at a party, you know, that's not what he's asking for. He got that, by the way. He really could snap at a party, but that wasn't what he was praying for. What he's praying for is true biblical wisdom. He's praying for that wisdom that applies God's word, what he's hearing to practical life and in his case, governing God's people. And that wisdom that is rooted in the fear and reverence of the Lord. Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, beginning of knowledge, and it's flowing from a heart that is listening to Yahweh and attentive to his word. So Solomon asks for a listening, discerning heart so that he has the ability to do what God has called him to do. We can pray this same prayer into our calling too. I want you to hear this. I think it's very helpful for us to do that. Like Solomon, we can ask the Lord for listening hearts so that we can fulfill God's calling in our lives. Consider how this prayer for a listening, discerning heart can apply to your specific life situation. Perhaps you're facing a daunting task and you don't know what to do. You can pray this prayer. Maybe you're showing up every day into what, when you think about it, is a very difficult calling. Your life is hard and you feel like you're burning out and you keep showing up. You can pray this prayer. Maybe you're trying to raise kids that are tech wise and Jesus loving, which is a challenge. The battle is real. You can pray this prayer for a listening heart for you, for your kids. Maybe you're caring for aging parents and you're wondering how to do that well, how to do that with honor. Or you're walking alongside someone who's in a tricky family situation and you feel super inadequate. But you keep showing up and walking with them and you keep praying this prayer. Lord, give me a listening heart. Maybe you are experiencing you personally, or maybe your kids, your family are experiencing a complex mental health struggle and you're at a loss as to what to Do. You can pray this prayer. I don't know what that that life situation might be for you, but you can fill in the blank. This prayer can be prayed. This prayer for a listening, discerning heart also applies directly to those of us who have some kind of a leadership role or are in positions of influence. Maybe you are on the leadership team of the Erickson Covenant Church. Dare I say, you can pray this prayer. Or maybe you're serving on a ministry team here in this family, you're leading a ministry team. You can pray that God would give you a listening heart so that you can fulfill the call that's been placed upon you. Or maybe you're involved in politics or education. Maybe you're managing employees at work or running a business. Pray this prayer that God would give you a listening heart so that you can do what God has called you to do and be who he's called you to be, where you are. This also applies directly to many of the challenging aspects of just following Jesus today. Perhaps you could think of the challenges we face in navigating the complexity of anti Christian, anti human ideologies that we're trying to wrestle through and discern what, what is true and what is false about them. We explored that in the last four weeks prior to this series and you can find that on YouTube as well. Perhaps as we face those things, we can simply pray this prayer. Lord, give me a discerning heart. Give me a listening heart. Help me to be attuned to what you say so that I can discern between right, wrong. Maybe you're just wanting to deepen your knowledge of the Christian faith and understand what it is. Maybe you're not a church person at all. Maybe this is brand new to you and you're flipping open this big, massive book and it gets confusing. You can actually pray this prayer. And I want you to know, even if you're not from the church, even if you've never said yes to Jesus, even if you're just exploring faith and you don't know what it is, if you say, lord, give me an understanding heart, give me a listening heart. He will. He will hear your prayer. As you open the Bible and you start to read, you'll be shocked at what you find. Maybe you're attempting to witness to your unchurched friends and you're unsure of what to say. Ask the Lord to give you a listening heart. He will hear your prayer. Speaking of prayer, maybe you're struggling with unanswered prayer. You're feeling shaky about the goodness of God, this prayer works for that, too. Or maybe you've just got questions that you've been wrestling with. My good friend John told me when he was up visiting a few weeks ago, he said to me, out on a walk, he said, you know, and I know he had lots of questions about God, lots of questions about things. And he's a deeply committed Christian, but a lot of questions. And he said, I realized, I don't know a couple years ago, I would just start asking God for wisdom on that question. And he said, it's surprising how much wisdom God is giving me. It's surprising how God is helping me wrestle through these questions and come to some sense of resolve on them. You can ask God to give you a listening heart, even in the questions that you carry in each and every situation. You can name situations in which you've been placed, where you're called to serve in the name of Jesus, where you're wrestling each and every day. You can pray this ancient prayer for a listening, discerning heart and know that God hears you. In fact, we're encouraged to pray it in James 1:5. We're told in no uncertain terms, if any of you lacks wisdom, at which point, how many hands in the building get raised? If any of you lacks wisdom, Why are there only four hands up? If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, not Facebook. Or a high. Oh, there's just so many things running through my head right now, but I'm not going to say it. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault. I love that that line's in there because so many of us think we dumb to even admit that we don't know what we don't know. But friends, if you don't know it, you don't know it. If you don't know what to do, you don't know what to do. There's no shame in that. God's not going, oh, gee, what are you asking me that for? Don't you know that already? That's not what he's doing. If any of you lacks wisdom, they should ask God. You should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and God will think about it for a while and maybe get back to you. That's not what it says, and it will be given to you. If anybody lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. That's a carte blanche promise, folks. Ask God this and you'll get it. I mean, it's not just Solomon who has God show up and say, ask me, ask, and I'll give it to you. Ask, ask, ask. You know? No, we get that too, right here. If you ask for wisdom, you'll get it. And so we can pray along with Solomon. Lord, give me a discerning, listening heart of wisdom. Make me attuned to you and attentive to your word so that I can know you more fully and serve you more faithfully in the places where you've called me to serve, you've called me to lead, you've called me to be. I don't have what it takes without you. So fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me a heart that listens and a mind that discerns. Lord, give me wisdom. When I was about 12 years old, and I know there's some that are only slightly older than that right here in the room, When I was about 12 years old, I was so struck by this story of Solomon and I was so encouraged by this verse in James, that I brought them together. And for about four years, from 12 to about 16, I prayed this prayer virtually every day. Lord, give me wisdom now. It was at a time when I felt really dumb, felt really inadequate, felt very afraid. This is the middle of the Cold War. We were part of a church that really believed Jesus was coming real soon. And I was really afraid. And I felt like the only dummy in the room. You know, the feeling when everyone else seems to understand what's happening, but you don't? That was me. And so I just started, you know, I like this, okay, this guy, you know, God showed up, asked him, I'm going to ask. And so I just started asking God for wisdom. Oh, give me wisdom. Give me wisdom. Give me wisdom. I made that my mantra, my prayer, the thing I asked all the time, Give me your wisdom, Lord. Help me be like Solomon. I want to be wise. I want to know you. I want to be attentive to your word. I want to listen. I want to know your will. Give me a discerning heart. All the things I just prayed for wisdom again and again and again. And it's not like God zapped me so I could start, like, you know, memorizing a deck of cards in 37 seconds or something like that. It was that God slowly just revealed himself to me. He led me to his word. At the very same time that I was praying the prayer, Lord, give me wisdom. I was getting into God's word. He was drawing me by his Spirit more deeply into his story. And I was reading it voraciously as I'm praying the prayer, lord, give me wisdom. And as I got deeper into the story of God, he kept revealing more and more of who he was to me, of who I was, of who he created me to be. And eventually, when I was about 14, more clarity came, and I knew that God had placed a call in my life to pursue ministry full time. But that was just the direction that God was calling me in. I prayed over and over again that God would give me the wisdom I needed to simply be who he wanted me to be. And it wasn't like it came overnight, but I do believe he did. Leading me by the hand gave me the wisdom that I needed to actually honor him and pursue him in my life. I haven't done that perfectly, you know, that I'm a sinner like everyone. But the fact is, God in His grace heard my prayer for wisdom, and he answered it, and he led me by the hand, and he still is. Third, I love this. As we get toward the end, God's generosity flows in response to this prayer. God's generosity really stands out here in this story, doesn't it? I love how we're told that God is pleased with what Solomon asks for. I love that. Don't you love that? Don't you want to pray the kind of prayer that goes. God just goes, oh, yes, yes. Don't you want to. Don't you. Don't you want to pray the kind of prayer that God just goes, that's a good one. I like that. Oh, wow. Yes. You know, that's the kind of thing you want to have happen in here. God is pleased with Solomon's request, and we can pray those kind of prayers, too. And this prayer for a listening heart is exactly that kind. In light of what Solomon could have asked for and didn't, God knew he was dealing with a man who cared more about his people than he did about himself. He was more concerned to accomplish God's purposes than to simply secure his own personal success. And God is pleased whenever we pray the same, folks, whenever we come to God in trusting faith to accomplish his will, God is pleased with that. Whenever we approach the throne of Mercy, with boldness to ask for what it is that we need, as we pursue what he desires for us, we are welcomed. Jesus himself repeatedly said, whatever you ask in my name, I'll do it for you. Look it up. It's all over the Gospels Now. I know some of us get nervous because immediately there's some jackass who says, well, what if I asked for a Corvette? Go ahead, let us know how that goes. What's so interesting here is that God is so pleased that he not only grants Solomon's humble request, but then he does go on to give them the very things that normal kings would have asked for. Proving that God is not some stingy miser, some cosmic humbug. God is just kind of hands fold. When you come to prayer, God's standing there like this going, oh, what now? You know, what are you asking for today? That's not the God that we're dealing with. And this God is revealed here. He still feels the same about us when we come. Nothing pleases God more than when we humbly ask for hearts to know him more. When we humbly come to him and say, can you just help my heart be more attuned to you, more attuned to your Word. I want to be the kind of person that you've created me to be. I want us to be the kind of people that you have called us to be so that we can serve in the name of Jesus where you've called us to serve. When we pray that kind of prayer, folks, sincerely, openly, for the sake of others, not for own gain, God is so pleased and he just pours out his generosity. Here's the truth we have to remember. When we pray according to God's will for us, we can trust God's generosity. Every time our prayers are being heard by an extravagantly generous God, a God who does not hold out, who is always for our good, a God who is always working everything out for our good. I'm just pulling from scriptures, folks. If you're a little bit more unfamiliar with the story, I'm just quoting little scriptures here and there. I'm not giving reference for them. We're praying to a God who's extravagantly generous, who is reconciling all things to himself through Christ, who didn't withhold his own Son for us. And so we're told, question is asked, how is it that he's going to withhold anything else from you? The good that God has for us means that he's truly for us, not against us. And he really is going to do whatever is needed to help you flourish, mature in Christ, grow, become all that he's created you to be. If we could just glimpse a glimmer of God's goodness and generosity, we would revel in confidence every time we pray. Every time. Because the God to whom we pray is not stingy he doesn't hold back. He pours out his gifts of grace generously. When we ask for the right things, that is a heart aligned with God's ways and will. When we ask for them in the right way, humbly and for the sake of the kingdom, we'll discover a deep truth that pops up all over the scriptures and in the lives of common Christians. God is incredibly, incredibly generous. In the letter of First John, chapter five, we read this. This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to his will, you have to decide whether the Corvette's part of that or not. If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of Him. Yes, we have lots of needs, and God tells us to bring those needs to Him. But we only have one truly great need, and that is for listening hearts so we can do the Father's will. When we've got that, it turns out we have got everything else. When we ask for that, we get everything else that we need. When Jesus told his followers not to worry, not to worry about all the things the pagans worry about, he reminded them that it's because they you are far more valuable even than the birds and the flowers. Even though God loves the birds and the flowers and takes care of them, you are worth more. And then he says, so do not worry, saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom, his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. This prayer for a listening heart is what it means to seek first the kingdom of God. When we pray for a listening heart so that we can fulfill the calling that God has placed upon our lives, we are seeking first the kingdom of God. We're asking for whatever it is that we need in the name of Jesus to do the thing he's given us to do. We're asking for wisdom. We're asking for listening hearts. And these are the things, prayers that please God. These kingdom prayers that God is delighted to hear. When we pray, those we can trust a generous God with the results. When we pray with humility into God's calling, into our lives. And he's got a calling on every one of your lives. When we pray, asking for listening, discerning hearts so that we can serve where he's placed us. And you can think right now where is that? Where has he placed you? Maybe hard situations, maybe family dynamics. Maybe you feel stuck in a dead end job or stuck without a job. Maybe you just wish something in life would shift so that it would get better. I don't know where it is but God has placed you there. He has called you to Himself. And when we pray this simple prayer, Lord give me a listening heart so that I can fulfill your calling in my life where I am. Know that he is generous and will give you exactly what you need exactly when you need it. God is just that good. [00:44:52] Speaker A: Thanks for listening in today. We hope you feel encouraged and challenged. If you know someone who would benefit from what you have heard today, please share this podcast. For more information or if you have questions you can connect with us through our website Erickson Covenant ca. You can also find us on Facebook by searching for Erickson Covenant Church.