What do you need from God

August 19, 2012 Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost Year B 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 John 6:51-58 “What do you need from the Lord” A genie in a bottle Three women were walking down a street and found a bottle laying on the side of the road. They picked it up and a genie popped out. The genie said, “You will each get one wish.” The first woman wished she was 20 times smarter. The genie made her 20 times smarter. The second woman wished she was 30 times smarter. The genie made her 30 times smarter. The last woman wished she was 60 times smarter. The genie turned her into a man. God is not a genie We may laugh at the joke of what people ask. But the truth is, that is what a lot of us, even he faithful think about prayer. We treat God like the genie in the bottle, who is willing to grant us the wishes of our heart. We see things that we want in life, and we ask God for them. And we wait for God to complete our order, and to make it all better. We wait and expect for God to give us the desires of our heart. We have to be careful when we pray. Prayer is not about a genie in a bottle in the sky granting the desires of our heart. Prayer is genuine conversation with God. Prayer is not so much about what we want in life, but about what we need. The king talks with God to get wisdom When a king took over his office, it was expected that he would go into a sacred cave, and wait on a message from the Lord. Scripture says that Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream. Solomon had a reputation of being a king of great wisdom, and Solomon had the honor of being the king who was allowed to build a house for God, the temple in Jerusalem. In the temple, Solomon did not have to travel to Gibeon to talk with God, he could talk with God in his own home. The Temple was built with an inner sanctuary, where the ark of the convenant stayed, with the presence of God. Solomon’s temple designed so that he could talk with God You know that only the Zadok priest where allowed to the inner sanctuary to care for God. But you may not know that the king was also allowed into the sanctuary in order to talk with God. The temple was built in a square, with four entrances. Ezekiel 40 gives the outline of the temple, so that the people can return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. God enters the building from the East. Once God enters the temple, no one else is allowed to enter on that side. The king has an entrance from the west, where he can walk all the way into the inner sanctum. No one else is allowed to come in that entrance. The priest come to temple from the north, the people come in to sacrifice at the south temple. I tell you this so that you know the temple was the place where Solomon could go to be with God. No longer did he have to go to Gibeon to sacrifice, he could sacrifice at home. Where do you go to be with God? Where do you go, when you need to be close to God? When you need to be in his presence? Is it the house of God? Is it the sanctuary? Is it a place in nature? The place that we go to find God is not a place at all- the place where God lives in our need to pray, to talk with God about our lives, to ask God for the things that we need. God wants you to ask Paul says that God already knows what we need in our lives, sometimes God knows better that we do. But he also wants us to be able to ask. To be able to articulate our needs, and to be confident enough to speak them, and most important to be in relationship in order to receive them from our Father who loves us. Asking has changed the world. Jesus asked the disciples to follow Him. They did, and Christianity has fundamentally changed this world. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked this nation to treat minorities with equality and it threw off much of the bigotry and injustice of his day. If you are married it is because you asked. If you have a job it is because you asked. Every day is an opportunity to ask God for his wisdom to know and do His purposes for your life. The great value of asking is it keeps us focused on the Lord. Yes, it may be a need in your life but for it to be meet or for you to have the wisdom to respond correctly, it will require the Lord’s help. Praying for wisdom keeps your focus on the Lord and his priorities. Let the spirit work in your life Words exchanged with God are not enough. We have to also be able to listen to what God has to say, and to see how it unfolds in our lives. Scripture says that Solomon’s prayer was for the ability to listen to God in order to lead his people. A heart to recognize when the holy spirit is working in his life to grant his and our request. This poem is called God says no, but in each case, I don’t hear God saying no, but God is saying trust in the work of the spirit…. ‘God Said, “No.”’ I asked God to take away my habit. God said, “No. It is not for Me to take away, but for you to give it up.” I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, “No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.” I asked God to grant me patience. God said, “No. Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.” I asked God to give me happiness. God said, “No. I give you blessings; happiness is up to you.” I asked God to spare me pain. God said, “No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.” I asked God to make my spirit to grow. God said, “No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.” I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, “No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.” I asked God to help me love others, as much as He loves me. God said, “Ahhh, finally you have the idea.” Solomon knew that genuine success could be experienced only in discerning and doing God’s will. In each case God did not say no, he said that the answer to you prayer can only be found in time, in relationship. If we ask god for something, but don’t stick around for he answer. We walk away assuming that God said no. how many times have you prayed to God for something. But did not stick around long enough to get the answer? How many times have you expected something from God, but not prepared yourself for the changes that answer takes. They say if you pray for rain, then you should really invest in an umbrella. God loves you, God wants to hear from you, God wants to answer your prayer. But you have to realize that it is God who answer s in God’s own way. “Ask what I should give you?” Scripture says that when Solomon stood before God at Gibeon, God came to him and said – Ask what I should give you? Ask what I should give you? When you have to attention of God, what is it that you ask for? What is it that you need right now from God? Solomon understood that true wisdom is being able to ask God for what you need, and not what you want. We have To understand that the desires of our heart, come from being in right relationship with God; from being open to the movement of the holy spirit in our lives. And having an ongoing relationship with God. And trusting that God will always do what is best for us. when we pray. God’s answer belongs to God not us. God’s baseball game There was a baseball going on. The game was between God’s team and satan’s team. Freddy and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team. The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate named Love. Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because "Love never fails." The next batter was named Faith, who also got a single because Faith works with Love. The next batter up was named Godly Wisdom. Satan wound up and threw the first pitch. Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass. Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked because he never swings at what Satan throws. The bases were now loaded. The Lord then turned to Freddy and told him He was now going to bring in His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Freddy said, "He sure doesn't look like much!" Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace. Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen! But Satan was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by. He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground. The roaring crowds went wild as the ball continued over the fence for a home run! The Lord's team won! The Lord then asked Freddy if he knew why Love, Faith and Godly Wisdom could get on base but couldn't win the game. Freddy answered that he didn't know why. The Lord explained, "If your love, faith and wisdom had won the game, you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, Faith and Wisdom will get you on base but only My Grace can get you home." "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast."--Ephesians 2:8, 9 (NIV). It is not our desires that answer our prayer, it is God. It is God’s grace that helps us to see the work of the spirit in our lives. No matter what our concerns, no matter what our request, our prayer is for a God listening heart and spirit - True wisdom for is submission and obedience to God’s work in our lives. Let us pray…… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It wasn't long before I had classmates hanging out in my room nights before Physics tests, asking for my help. I was always glad to give them help, and they knew that I wouldn't steer them wrong. Imagine, though, if every time I explained a problem to someone, they had said to me, "Well, that's a nice idea, but I think this way will work just as well..." And then they proceeded to use a different method, arriving at a different answer. Don't you imagine that after awhile, I would say "Excuse me, if you're not ever going to listen to what I tell you, why are you even bothering to ask?"