I have a hard time praying for things I want. Not because I don’t think the Lord hears us, but because I don’t believe in always getting your way and I certainly don’t believe in greed. Society has really pushed us to believe we need more of everything in order to be happy – more money, more promotions, more vacations, more luxuries, more connections. More, more, more.

I’m over here raising my kids on a smaller income, with a simpler way of life, sometimes nervous at getting too many clients at once because I can only handle so much work while homeschooling and being the primary parent for our kids. In my personal life, a lot of my prayers start or end with “your will be done above my wants”. And I feel that this aspect of my prayer life has to change.

This week the Lord called me to study 1 Kings, and so I have been reading and rereading the chapters to really capture all that He wants me to absorb from it. Two nights ago one big thing stood out to me in Chapter 8:22-53. Now quick little background of King Solomon: he became king of Israel at a very young age (many say 12-20yrs of age), the Lord blessed him with wisdom beyond what anyone had ever seen; He also blessed him with an abundance of riches to the point where gold was considered of little value during his reign. Check out these references: 1 Kings 3:13, 1 Kings 4:30-34, 1 Kings 10:20-22). 1 Kings 10:23-24 states it best “Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.”

As I was reading chapter 8, I came upon King Solomon’s prayer of Dedication upon the completion of the Temple of the Lord. My assumption was “Solomon and his people were blessed, the Lord new what they did and did not need, there was great favour on them (promised generationally). Why then was he so specific in his prayer regarding God hearing their words and keeping them from harm/the consequences of their actions?” I was truly stumped. Solomon didn’t neeeed to ask God for these things, the Lord had favour on them already. And so I re-read and re-read the chapter as I allowed the Spirit to bring understanding.

I thought of my kids – I know what they need, I give them what they do not ask for, BUT some times I do wait for them to ask for a treat before I present it to them. Sometimes I say no (because their actions have consequences) but often time the treat is ready to be handed when they ask for it. Perhaps the Lord sees us the same. Yes he can bestow blessing over us but I bet he often is patiently waiting (blessing in hand) for us to approach him with our requests. It sounds backwards but it also makes perfect sense; in a life where the Lord has given us free will, why would he force blessings we have not requested on our lives? That would be breaking our free-will to choose His blessings. King Solomon knew the Lord’s heart was for his people but he also knew to approach the throne with prayer and requests, interceding on his peoples’ behalf.

Praying for success or increased finances beyond our immediate need is not always greed. I am learning once again that the heart posture we hold is what also has so much weight. The answer to our prayer may still be no, but that does no mean we must stop approaching the Lord’s throne with our requests.

Here is a link to an old video of mine regarding “How to handle unanswered prayers (especially when they have to do with the health of a loved one)”.

So! What prayers have you been holding back on? I have no issue going into spiritual battle for my family or community. My big area of “hold back” is my real estate business. I trust the Lord holds my transactions, I pray favour over them, I have done prayer walks for them, but I don’t contest with the Lord. After reading 1 Kings and seeing how many times God changed an outcome after a word had already been given, I’m realizing that contesting is not about disrespect or greed, it is a conversation of hearts between a righteous Father and His child. I have one difficult transaction I am hoping and praying (for God’s will) to have sold in the next 8 weeks MAX (3 weeks preferred). Not solely for my financial gain but to decrease stress, worry and to to bless my clients. A friend of mine thaught me to do the following: pick a date you want the transaction to be done on, bring it before the Lord, and begin not just pray but decreeing and blessing those details. It may not always be a yes but it is opening doors for further blessings, it is maintaining an open line of communication with our Heavenly Father. That is what prayer is about.

Philippians 4:6 tells us “do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

So go and make your list of prayer request, get specific, pull out all the details, respectfully contest, your Heavenly Father is waiting with open ears and outstretched arms for His child to ASK for more.

Ashley,