The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 9 September 2026 – A Prayer That Pleased Heaven
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TOPIC: A Prayer That Pleased Heaven
READ: 1 Kings 3:10-15
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.
15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
THE MESSAGE:
In our text, we see that Solomon’s request pleased the Lord (1 Kings 3:10). This verse has always taught me that certainly there are prayers or requests that do not please God (James 4:3). God gave Solomon an open cheque to ask whatever he desired, and God was pleased at the priority of Solomon which centered on what he needed to succeed in the task that God, in His providence, had put on him. It showed the state of Solomon’s heart towards God and His work. We must learn here from Solomon who chose the way of virtue rather than that of pleasure – “An understanding heart to judge.” The virtue here is that he chose a moral, rather than any other gift. And God was pleased with the noble, unselfish request.
The challenge for us today is to examine the nature of our prayers before God. Are our requests noble or selfish? Many are praying for promotion, comfort and prestige. It is about their personal status, and we cover this by claiming we want to be kingdom financiers. We cunningly add spiritual dimensions to our carnal requests and think we can fool others. God saw the intent of Solomon’s heart and the Bible recorded that God was pleased. All hearts are open to God and He sees our motives. We must repent today from our selfish ambitions and prayers and let our desires align with divine purpose.
PRAYER: Lord, may the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight.
