2 Chronicles 1:7-12 In that night did God appear to Solomon, and said to him, Ask what I shall give you.… It is an excellent discipline for such as would pray aright to begin by hearing God say to them, "Ask now what I should give you." Think with yourself before you kneel down to pray, "What shall I ask; what wish is upon my heart; is there anything distressing, vexing, paining me at this moment which I can ask God to alleviate or to remove; is there anything which I very much desire, anything which I think it would make me happy to have, anything which to be denied would embitter or desolate my life?" "Ask what I shall give thee," God says, and let Him not find silence, or find a double tongue in him to whom He says it. All this points to what Scripture calls "the preparation of the heart" for prayer. How different would be the very step of the worshippers as they left their homes, how different would be the very look of the countenances aa they came within these doors and took up their places, if each one felt that God was here, and that He was saying to each one, "What shall I give thee?" There is a moment in most lives when the question of the destination of the life is put to them, and must be answered. Even the destination of this life is very important. Often it has the destination of the other life in it. To s young man, the question takes the form of "What shall be your profession?" In proportion as the field of choice is wider and broader will be, of course, the difficulty and the gravity of the question, "What shall I make my life for the service of God and of my generation?" This is the most direct example to be found in our day, perhaps, of the young king in one of my texts. And what shall be the answer? Shall it be,"Give me wealth"? shall it be, "Give me honour"? shall it be, "Give me a front place in the ranks of fame, or of such repute and respectability as takes the place of fame among the lowly; give me success, give me applause, give me rapid progress towards a satisfactory position; or, give me a portion among them that know, that amass information, that write or make books, that are called men of literature, men of science, men of culture, men of education"? or, shall it be, "Lord, make me useful in my generation; let it not concern me whether I am great or small, may I but help a few others to know Thy comfort, may I but bring peace into a few unhappy souls or guide a few stray lives into the way of holiness"? If there were such a heart in us, how rich would be the reward! "The speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing." There are times when the question, "What shall I do, Lord?" comes very prominently into view. It is so with the young Churchman at the season of confirmation; it is so at the first and at each successive communion; it is so when the hand of God is laid heavily upon the life in sorrow; it is so when sickness comes, not unto death; it is so when the formation of new ties, or providential disruption of old ones, compels a man to stand still and settle with himself — what shall the tenor of my life be, what the course, and what the goal? Happy if he can cast himself believingly on Him who is "a very present help," and say, "Give me understanding, give me grace, give me a useful course and a blessed end." (Dean Vaughan.) Parallel Verses KJV: In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.WEB: In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask what I shall give you." |
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