The Lord loves us greatly when we keep His commandments. He loved us when He saved us, and He loves us even more when we fasten ourselves to obey Him. We see Him do it before. “In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, ‘Ask what you wish me to give you’” (1 Kings 3:5). The Lord loved Solomon dearly that He promised David to make him the king of Israel. Solomon knew how to conduct himself before Him. He followed Him according to all his father had told him. We know the kind of person David was. He was a man after God’s own heart.
Nothing gives the Lord more joy than when His children keep His statutes. He will be elated to bless them. Perhaps some of us doubt whether He would still do the same for us as He did for Solomon. The Scripture is the greatest resource for us concerning God and His attributes. It teaches us to live for Him and informs us of how He reacts to our obedience to Him. Besides we clearly know He has given us the Spirit to guide us into all that He means for us. The primary aspect we should be concentrating on is maintaining a pious relationship with Him. What happens because of that and how will depend on His choices. One should not assume He only works in a particular manner for the fulfillment of His particular interest. But he or she must always believe in His ability to use various avenues. For example, we know that He speaks to us from the Word and that He convinces us of it by His Spirit. He works with the Word just as He worked before through any other means. Again, remember the words of the prophecy spoken by Peter when he stood up along with the eleven on the day of Pentecost. The Lord God intends to keep them all. For the Lord to ask us what we desire from Him is one of His ways to fulfill His desire in us.
Nevertheless, here is the real deal. How well do we desire our God should ask us what we want? And, how confident are we that He would do it for us? The answer hinges on how close we are to Him in life. Remember, He knows the intent of our heart. He knows what we would ask even before He asked us what we wish from Him. So, He does not ask anyone, but him or her whom He intimately knows. He asks knowing we would make a request that pleases Him or suits His will. You might be a godly mother, a preacher, pastor or a businessman, yet He will not deem you any less than those whom He knew intimately. He will come to you to seek your desire. For He Himself has chosen you.
If God must say to us ‘ask what you wish me to give you,’ there are certain things we must do. They are part of obedience. We must acknowledge His choice of us and call upon Him. “Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!” (Ps. 80:1). He is a God who leads us like a flock. In other words, He does not allow us to be scattered and left alone. The words we use to pray to Him play an important role. They must be of the truth, spoken from the heart and choice words to praise Him. When we offer sound prayers to Him while keeping His commandments, He will be pleased to speak to us. In these last days the Lord God has provided better ways so that He is accessible to us. He did it through Christ. We no longer have to fulfill the Law of the flesh, but of Christ. This means inevitability in greater holiness and righteousness. We are bound to become closer to God. That such a thing should take place He made plans and revealed it. He re-measured the temple. “Its windows and its porches and its palm tree ornaments had the same measurements as the gate which faced toward the east; and it was reached by seven steps, and its porch was in front of them” (Ezek. 40:22).
This re-measuring of the temple indicated the Lord made different plans to associate with men. The vision Ezekiel saw was a long one and has a deeper sense to it. It was for the future. The temple he saw and measured was never built; neither was it meant to be built with stone and wood. It was God’s way of revealing His intent to bring all nations to Him through the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many other things or measurements given to the prophet and the above verse is taken as a reference point. The reason is to show that times have changed from before Christ to after Christ. God has changed His ways to fellowship with His children. He now desires to associate with them on an individual basis and impartially. We no longer have to be a king for Him to visit us, but those who simply obey His commands. And so, when He sent Christ, He sent Him with the Word that said, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24).
In fulfilling this command we can believe God would ask us what we need from Him. We are familiar with the dynamism present in the phrase ‘strive to enter through the narrow door.’ It is fulfilling His commandments. Jesus wants we strive for it. Without putting in a godly effort we are in no position to expect the Lord God to visit us. For this reason, it is interesting to note Christ saying, “for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Many will look to enter and the reason they will not be able is because their striving is not godly. But when our effort is according to the Lord’s will and for His glory, we easily enter through the narrow door. This makes us intimate with Him. We define our relationship to Him so that He is pleased to visit us.
Now, if you are not a Christian or someone who calls himself a Christian, but without the transformation that Christ offers, none of the above applies to you. However, if you wish everything from the above must apply to you, you are first required to perform one thing. You must be saved from all your sin. You can do it by heeding the following. “They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household’” (Acts 16:31). Believing in Jesus with all your heart as your Lord and Savior will save you for eternal life. When you do this, you acknowledge your sinful nature before Him, your inner man seeks repentance calling upon Him for help and the Spirit of God will enter you. You are sanctified by the blood of Jesus. It is He who died for all men on the cross and paid in full for their sin.
But if you are a Christian for all it means, you are pleasing the Lord. There will come a time when He shall visit you. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). Be confined to that which the Lord has sought from you. Do not be unbelieving. The Lord God does not break His promises; neither does He ignore your striving for Him. Perform His commandments with all your strength constantly seeking strength through conversing with Him. Whatever you are doing for Him that is in accordance to His desire, He counts. The appointed time will appear for you to be blessed. If some mock you, let them; if others feel you’ve missed the point, let them. But, as for you, concentrate on pleasing the Lord. If He has given you His will to perform, do it diligently. Then, you are immovable. God will bring forth from you the kind of fruit that none have expected. When He visits you and gives what you wanted from Him, you will rejoice.
The Lord God is not only the God of Solomon, but also of Christ through whom He called us. Christ is greater than Solomon and our obedience to Him will justify us before God. He is our advocate so that God visits us. At the same time beware. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7).