Proverbs 18:23-24
A poor person makes supplications,
but a rich man answers harshly.
A person who has friends may be harmed by them,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Have you ever needed something that you couldn’t get on your own? Not just in terms of money or things, but perhaps a favor or help with something. Maybe you needed someone’s forgiveness and you couldn’t do anything else to get it. Or perhaps you had done everything you can to find a job, but you were out of options.
When you get into those kinds of situations, how do you approach the person who has what you need? My guess is, you don’t approach them with pride and arrogance. My guess is you, you approach them with humility. Then as you are humble and make your request, you have a better shot at getting what you were looking for.
In supplication is present the idea of humility. When you make a supplication, you aren’t just asking for something, you are humble while you ask. If you are in a position where the only way out is the help of someone from the outside, do you think you should be proud or humble when you approach them? Hopefully you answered humble.
Can you imagine being wealthy and having someone come to you to ask for money, but they did so in a proud or arrogant way? I have a feeling that would turn you off. If they asked as though they deserved your money, you’d probably not be to apt to help them out. But if they approached you as though you are their savior and there is nothing they can to be thankful enough for your help, you’d probably be more inclined to give whatever you could.
Within answering harshly is the idea of pride. If you have the ability to help, you shouldn’t answer harshly. Acknowledge the humility in the supplication of the person in need and be gracious in your response.
However, there is one more application we should make with this. Since the word supplication is used in the context of prayer, we should examine how we make our supplications to God. In fact, if we are not humble in our requests, I would argue that we are not making supplications. Instead, we are going to God with a list of demands.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to demand something from God. Just saying.
Take some time to examine how you talk to God when you pray. Do you approach him with pride and arrogance? Or are you humble. Yes we can boldly approach the throne of grace with confidence, but confidence is not the same thing as arrogance. Arrogance is entitled thinking, thinking you deserve and own the right to do whatever it is. We should not approach God with arrogance. Confident yes, but humble in supplication.
