Thank God First
I want to share some thoughts with you from 1 Kings 3, where Solomon is visited by God during a dream and God says to him, "Ask for whatever you want Me to give you." And in verse six, Solomon begins by praising God.
I thought this was very profound. His answer to God is, "You have shown great kindness to Your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to You 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." So he begins by saying, “how kind You are, Lord, how great You are, Lord.”
I thought this was a good lesson in how to speak to God by always praising Him and thanking Him for His kindness first.
The Power of Gratitude in Prayer
I mean, in this case, God specifically asks Solomon for what he wants, but before he even gets to it, Solomon praises and thanks God for His kindness. I wondered to myself as I read that if my prayers are this way, or if I just barge into my prayer time to ask for what I want! Maybe God hasn't even asked me for what I want, and yet I just throw in my requests and forget to say thank you for Your kindness.
Consider your prayer life today. Are your prayers always beginning with a grateful thank you to God for the kindness that He's shown you and those around you?
I like how Solomon even spoke about his father, David – okay, he had died a short time ago so maybe he was on his mind a lot - but he begins by saying thank you for how kind You were to my father, David. Thank you for extending Your kindness to me.
Following Solomon's Example of Thankfulness
And so, simple lesson for today: Let your prayers always begin by thanking God for His kindness. He has been kind to you, hasn't He? I know He's been so kind to me, so gracious, so patient, so thoughtful, so loving.
I'm committing to making my praise always begin with this, and I pray you'll consider this too.
