Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
How to Start Off on the Right Foot with God This Year

How to Start Off on the Right Foot with God This Year

Last updated on: January 19, 2020 at 9:21 pm by Jim Erwin

How to Start Off on the Right Foot with God This Year 2020-01-19T21:21:46-05:00 Jim Erwin

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Start Off On the Right Foot With God This Year

1 Kings 3:1-15

We start a new year, and many people take this time to make new starts. Some may go on after-Christmas diets. Others may make new resolutions or plans. Here, we see Solomon making a similar new start. Solomon has been coronated as the new king. One might think that Solomon has made some missteps.

We see that he has married the daughter of the Pharaoh or king of Egypt. He has gone to the “high places” which were secular places of worship. It looks like he was making serious mistakes. He loves God, but he continues to follow in his own separate path away from what God wants Solomon wants him to do.

So God appears to Solomon in a dream. He tells Solomon to ask of Him.

If God approached you, as he did Solomon, and said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you,” how would you respond? Would you ask for money? A happy family? Good health? World peace? Solomon asked for “an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” Without minimizing the selfless character of his request, we should remember that, as king, he had no need of more riches. However, he certainly could have asked for a more expansive kingdom, a better economy, or even revenge on his enemies. Instead, he asked for the disposition needed to serve his people well. Whether this actually happened or not, the account does pose an interesting question. How would you respond?

What is it that we ask of God? I doubt that I am the only one who, sometime in life, prayed to pass a test, or for good picnic weather, or to be chosen for what I might have considered an honor. As important as such prayers might have seemed at the moment, if I were to be honest with myself, I would have to admit that they were certainly quite trivial when you look at the whole scheme of things. But then, to what extent do we really know what counts in life? It takes great insight to realize what it is we should treasure in life and what is not worthy of us. This is particularly difficult when society assaults us with values that are really disvalues. Perhaps we should all pray for “an understanding heart.”1

When you ask God what you want, remember these three important elements in your prayer:

Reflect on the depth of God’s love with you in your past.

“And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to your servant, my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. “Lord my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. Your servant is among your people you have chosen, a people too many to be numbered or counted.” (1 Kings 3:6–8, CSB)

God’s love has it’s own trinity of qualities. His love embodies His faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. Solomon is reflecting on the way that David, his father, kept the covenant with God. Yet, David didn’t start this covenant. God did. God is the source of my faithfulness, my righteousness, and my integrity. My covenant with God starts with God. So look back at your own life. Look at the ways that you have been faithful, correct, and good with God. Ultimately, you will see that it was God and His love that made you that way. In other words, here are three ways to reflect on the way that God’s love has impacted you.

THREE WAYS TO REFLECT ON GOD’S LOVE

Remember how faithful He has been (“faithfulness”)

Look back on your relationship with God and see where He has been faithful with you. When you reflect on God and how faithful He has been, you will start to see many times where God came through for you. Maybe an unexpected bill was paid. Perhaps you were sick and He healed you. You look back and you wonder: “How was I able to get through all this?” The answer to that question is because God was faithful to you.

How faithful has God been with me?

Recognize how correct Has has been (“righteousness”)

There have been times in the past when you thought you were right. Yet, when you look back on your life, you find out that you were wrong and God was right. You just didn’t listen. Or you look back at a situation and like the song says: “thank God for unanswered prayers.” This is what it means to recognize how correct God has been.

When has God been right about what He told me?

Realize how good He has been (“integrity”)

God has been honest, upright, and upright with you. He has been true to Himself as He has been true to His relationship with you. There has never been a time when He was evil with you. Yes, God may have pushed you out of your comfort zone, but He has never been cruel or evil wity you. Instead, when you look back, you will find that He has been good with you.

How good has God been to me?

Asking these three questions will help me see how God’s love has operated in my past. As you start a new year, now is a good time to take a spiritual inventory of your life and see where you stand with God. Maybe you and God have not been on good terms lately. More precisely, you have not been on good terms with God. You have avoided him. You have disobeyed Him. You have neglected Him. Now is a good time to reflect on your past and see where God has been involved. This kind of reflective praying is important, because it can put your life in perspective. You can see the bigger where you notice God’s hand. Just as Solomon does here with this prayer, before he starts his reign as king, you might want to take some time to see how God has loved you in your past.

But the past is the past, which you cannot change. But you can change how you live in the present. God gives you every opportunity to live with Him in the present.

Request with a receptive heart from God in the present.

God asked a question that He still asks today:

God said,“Ask. What should I give you?”” (1 Kings 3:5, CSB)

God invites me to ask God what I should give myself. Think about this for a minute. God, who has control over the entire universe, wants to ask my opinion about what I want in my life. What do I want God to give me?

Solomon could have asked for anything really. But Solomon realized the enormity of the position he was placed in. He knew the awesome responsibility of being king because he had watched his father David. Based on his experience as a king’s son, Solomon asked for a receptive heart.

“So give your servant a receptive heart to judge your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?”” (1 Kings 3:9, CSB)

What is Solomon really asking for? Solomon is asking God for a supernatural ability to listen to God so that He may act and behave as he should in his role as a king. Solomon wants to listen to God and know how to do the right thing. Solomon desires to seek God and His opinion in the matter.

The passage invites me to seek God and ask Him what He can give me. When you seek God, He always gives you more than you ask.

“I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no king will be your equal during your entire life.” (1 Kings 3:12–13, CSB)

This is why God is so good. He gives us what we ask and then some. It’s a lagniappe.

Lagniappe is Cajun for “a little something extra.” In foods, it is used to describe a little extra you get on the food, perhaps the spice. Originally, it referred to merchants who would give a little extra of something you bought as a bonus, like a thirteenth donut in the dozen. The slogan for Beaumont, Texas for example, is “Texas with a little something extra.” If Cajuns wrote this passage, they would call it the “Lagniappe” Scripture.2

Jesus said that God operates this way:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” (Matthew 6:33, CSB)

When God asks something of you that you want, He operates in this fashion. He always provides more than what you asked for.

Reckon to properly relate to God in the future.

“If you walk in my ways and keep my statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”” (1 Kings 3:14, CSB)

There are things that God gives us that we can ask for, which are unconditional based upon His love. Yet, there are also things that we can ask from God which have conditions. This is one of those conditional promises from God. God said that Solomon’s long life (another “something extra” God would give him) is based upon the assumption that Solomon follows God in obedience.

You see here that God tells Solomon that if he relates with God in a right way, then it will bring long life.

“My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being.” (Proverbs 3:1–2, CSB)

This relating to God requires a love for Him. It requires a level of intimacy that many people have a hard time to maintain.

Many of those in ministry who fell for seduction had gotten so busy doing the work of God that they slipped away from pure intimacy with God.3

At 5 p.m. on April 12, 1945, Vice President Harry Truman, wearied by his afternoon in the United States Senate, ducked into Sam Rayburn’s private office in the Capitol. Someone mentioned to him that the White House had called. Harry picked up the phone and dialed the number, National 1414. Press Secretary Steve Early came on, voice tense, asking Truman to come to the White House “quickly and quietly.” He was to enter the main entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Harry exited the room alone, then began racing through the ornate halls of the Capitol, shoes pounding marble. He jumped in his old Mercury and sped through the traffic. At 5:25, he pulled under the north portico. Two ushers took his hat and escorted him to the small elevator. Waiting for him upstairs was Eleanor Roosevelt. “Harry,” she said, “the president is dead.”

Truman groped for words. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked at length.

“Is there anything we can do for you?” Eleanor replied. “You are the one in trouble now.”

That night, Truman took the oath of office as president of the United States, his hand resting on an inexpensive Gideon Bible grabbed from the desk of the White House’s head usher. The following Monday, Truman addressed a joint session of Congress. His speech lasted but fifteen minutes. Most of it had been written by presidential speechwriters, but the conclusion he had added himself. The Congress was hushed and the nation spellbound by their radios as he said: At this moment I have in my heart a prayer. As I have assumed my duties, I humbly pray Almighty God, in the words of King Solomon: “Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people?” I ask only to be a good and faithful servant of my Lord and my people.4

1 Dianne Bergant, The Word for Every Season: Reflections on the Lectionary Readings (Cycle A) (New York; Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2010), 114–115.

2 Jim Erwin, “Lagniappe,” 16 August, 2012, Internet, Patheos, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jimerwin/2012/08/16/deuteronomy-1428-29-lagniappe/, accessed on 3 January 2020.

3 Beth Moore, When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Finding Authentic Restoration in the Age of Seduction (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2002).

4 Robert J. Morgan, From This Verse: 365 Scriptures That Changed the World, electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000).

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Other Posts:

Making a Spiritual Transition to the New Year

Learning to Look Forward

How to Say A Blessing to Others in the New Year

What Are You Going to Ask God for This New Year?

personal relationships

sermon

Previous Post

December 30, 2019

God Is With Me at HOME for the Holidays

Next Post

January 18, 2020 Growing Closer to God Through the Storms of Life

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Chronicles 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Kings 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Chronicles 2 Corinthians 2 John 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Samuel 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy 3 John Acts Advent Amos Book Review Colossians Comics Culture Watch Daniel Deuteronomy Ecclesiastes Ephesians Esther Exodus Ezekiel Ezra Galatians Genesis Guest Post Habakkuk Haggai Hebrews Hosea Humor Inspiritational Isaiah James Jeremiah Job Joel John Jonah Joshua Jude Judges Lamentations Lectionary Lent Leviticus Link Love Luke Malachi Mark Matthew Micah Movie Review Nahum Nehemiah Numbers Philippians Political Watch Prophecy Watch Proverbs Psalm Revelation Reviews Romans Ruth Science Watch Sermon Series Sermons Simple Thoughts Song of Solomon Titus Top Ten Uncategorized Video Review Zechariah Zephaniah

Select a Month May 2026 October 2025 September 2025 June 2025 February 2025 January 2025 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 January 2022 June 2021 January 2021 October 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2009 June 2008 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 October 2006 September 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 September 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In what city was Jesus born?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Bethlehem Jericho Jerusalem Nazareth