To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: "God, I thank you that I am not like other people--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' - Luke 18: 9-12 (NIV)
Look who it says Jesus addressed this parable to! Those confident in their own righteousness who looked down on everyone else. Today we call these people religious. Sometimes we can be so enamored with our religiosity that we lose sight of our Savior! We forget that we have no righteousness at all except through His shed blood! We can start to approach prayer in a proud manner instead of with humility. That is the second benefit from approaching God with praise first for all He has done. It forces us into a humble position before God. It reminds us of who we are and who He is.
The second element to the kingdom mindset on display here from Solomon is that it acknowledges that God is sovereign to maintain even the status quo. I do not think we realize that everything we have is thanks to the Lord. Our homes, our careers, our family, our church, our pastor, our ministries - everything. Solomon says - please continue to keep Your promise made to David. I can tell you personally, it is quite unsettling to wake up and lose your church and your pastor. Or to wake up and find there is no loyalty among men and you lose your job. As unsettling as these experiences were they were calmed by the realization of the sovereignty of God. It may have surprised me but it did not surprise God. God doesn't have a Plan B, because He does not need one. I remember the futility of my thinking before Christ when I didn't respect all that I had until I lost it. While that may be more understandable within the carnal mind it happens way too often to believers as well. When we are asking of God we need to start with praise for all He has done and acknowledging His sovereignty over everything we have. It is a forced mechanism to elevate the name above all names before we ask Him for anything.
The final aspect of the kingdom mindset on display in the key verses is that there is a benefit to the kingdom in the request. It indicates where your heart is in the request. Is it on the things of this world or on the eternal? The story of Simon the Sorcerer displays this. Simon had converted and was following Phillip when Peter came to Samaria and Simon saw Peter impart the baptism of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. His request quickly revealed his heart:
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. - Acts 8: 18-21 (NIV)
Simon's thinking was still carnal. He did not ask for the power because he wanted to see more souls bought into the kingdom or more believers being baptized in the Spirit. He asked for selfish and worldly motives. We need to make sure that our heart is right before God. Now let us look at someone who asked with a kingdom mindset:
W hen they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. - 2Kings 2: 9 (NIV)
Elisha followed one of the greatest prophets ever in Elijah. When asked what could be done for him he asked for a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. There is nothing in Scripture to indicate that Elisha was asking with impure motive and the results show that God rewarded the kingdom mindset request because in reviewing the Old Testament we find that the ministry of Elisha saw exactly double the miracles that the ministry of Elijah had produced! So Solomon asked purely for the wisdom and knowledge to lead the great people of Israel and God saw his kingdom motives:
