Solomon looks over all that God had already provided, is so overwhelmed at God's goodness, and asks God for "an understanding mind to govern (God's) people."
It pleased God that Solomon had not asked for a long life, or riches, or the lives of his enemies. So God grants Solomon's request - and promises him a long life, riches, and victory over his enemies.
There are times in my life when my prayers are dominated with the things that I need God to do for me. I prayed for my mother when her surgery failed to correct the blood flow to her brain. I prayed for my daughter's safety the year she was living and serving in Mexico. There have been other such times, and there will be many more in my future.
But I try to remember the prayer of Solomon, and I clear away my own self-interest long enough to ask for that which is needed for the building up of God's people and the work of God in the world. I pray for a discerning heart and for a willing spirit and for the wisdom to do God's will.
It helps to have a system - to have an order in my prayer in which I include those things which place other concerns at the center. Our Sunday morning Kyrie does this by dedicating a verse to concerns in the world, concerns for the Church, concerns for others, and then a verse for what troubles me.
Let it never be the case that we pray for others so that God will see our selflessness and grant us that which we selfishly desire. God forbid! But may it happen in your life that as you get into the regular habit of praying for others you will come to experience the life-change which comes from being united in prayer with all those who lift an united voice to God. This is what happens to Solomon. It is how prayer can change our lives and the world in which we live.
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