Acts of Grace 33
ACKNOWLEDGING YOU NEED GOD’S HELP
(Acknowledging God - Part II)
By Pastor Henry

When was the last time you acknowledged God’s loving kindness in your past, or in your present? It is through our lives, through our behaviour, our conduct, our conversation, even through our emails or letters that we truly acknowledge the grace of God in our lives. What happens when we do not thank and acknowledge God? We suffer. We run the race alone. We may come to a time of dryness and go through a period of testing, of what is called a wilderness experience. Let us learn to acknowledge God’s great loving kindness in our lives diligently.

Here Solomon acknowledged his inadequacies and his inexperience. Human beings are very quick at pointing out someone else’s inadequacies and weaknesses. But here we see Solomon humbly acknowledging his own weaknesses before God.

We can apply acknowledgement of our own inadequacies individually or collectively as God’s people. Let us not be proud when we have reached a certain size, or when we have done great things for God. Let us not think that God is only with Grace Assembly, for God is with everyone who fears him.

The third acknowledgement that Solomon made was the acknowledgement of his heavy and great responsibility. Firstly, he acknowledged the kind of people that God has asked him to lead. And secondly, he acknowledged the sheer size of the people that God had placed under his leadership. Solomon described the people as ‘a great people’. They were great only because they were people of the great God, their greatness were not their own.

The fourth acknowledgment is where Solomon acknowledged his need for God’s help - in this case his need for wisdom, an understanding heart. He acknowledged his need for wisdom in two particular areas: wisdom to lead - to judge or to deliver God’s people; and wisdom to discern good and evil. As a leader and as a king, he needed such wisdom. We too need to acknowledge the fact that we need God’s help in our lives.

Cell leaders – do not come to a place where you just read the cell notes to your members. You need to trust God. You need to pray. Why is my cell group not growing? Seek God to have a breakthrough in your cell group and your ministry. Ask God for wisdom to lead this great people – people whom He has purchased with His precious blood. Whether you are a leader in your cell, office or in your family, we need God’s help.

The second thing Solomon asked for was wisdom to discern between good and evil. He needed God’s wisdom to discern the hearts of men. In the marketplace, in your company, you may be facing a lot of challenges. You need to seek God for wisdom to discern. You need wisdom to pull your family together. You need wisdom to prosper in everything you set your hands to do.

Verse 10 is God’s acknowledgement of Solomon’s acknowledgement. It pleased God that Solomon had asked these things. So what does it mean? It means it is the will of God for us to pray for these four things. We see that God actually answered the prayer and granted Solomon every one of the four things he asked for, as well as all the things he could have asked for but did not.

Let’s learn to acknowledge God’s great loving kindness regularly and consistently. And let’s also acknowledge our weaknesses and our inadequacies. Acknowledge our responsibilities and ask God for wisdom. Finally, let us acknowledge that we need God’s help in whatever we are doing: serving, parenting, in the area of relationships and living this life fruitfully.

Ask God for His divine help and He will grant it.