The Request That Pleases God

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The One Request That Pleased God Most - 1 Kings 3.4-13

Dear Friends, Solomon goes up to Gibeon to offer sacrifices at the great high place. That night the Lord appears to him in a dream and says, “Ask what I shall give you” (v5). The offer is breathtaking—anything. Solomon could have asked for wealth, victory over enemies, long life, or power to crush every rival. Instead, he answers with humble honesty: “I am but a little child… Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil” (vv7–9).

He asks for wisdom to lead well, to discern what is right. And the text tells us something precious: “It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this” (v10). God not only grants the wisdom but adds what Solomon did not ask for—riches and honour—so that “no one like you shall have been before you and none like you shall arise after you” (v12).

This is the hinge of Solomon’s reign. He could have grasped for himself; instead he asked for what would bless God’s people. The request pleased the Lord because it flowed from humility, not greed. Solomon saw himself as small, the people as precious, and the task as sacred. He wanted what God wanted: a heart that could shepherd justly.

Today, pause and let the Lord ask you the same question: “What shall I give you?” In a world that screams for success, comfort, and control, what are you asking for? The prayer that delights God’s heart is rarely the one that puts us first. It’s the one that says, “Lord, give me what equips me to love You and love others well—wisdom, patience, courage, a heart that seeks Your will above my own.”


Point to Ponder: The request that pleases God most is the one that seeks His glory and the good of others, not our own gain.

Verse to Remember: “It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.” (1 Kings 3:10 ESV)

Question to Consider: If God appeared to you tonight and said, “Ask what I shall give you,” what would rise in your heart first? How can you start asking today for what would please Him most—wisdom to love better, strength to serve faithfully, a heart that seeks Him above all?

Article written by Shaun Fereday, Leader @SFGH Church  

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