“Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did more evil than all who were before him.”
– 1 Kings 16:25
Now, what’s interesting about Omri … So this is the summary of his life. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, did more evil than all who were before him. Yet it’s interesting when you read the story of Omri, in 1 Kings 16:25. As king, you’ll see that he was a strong leader who strengthened the nation in all kinds of ways. So from the outside, it might look like Omri was successful as king. It might even seem like Omri had led God’s people to prosper in certain ways. But without going into all the details here in 1 Kings 16, for sake of time, the bottom line is Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, more evil than all who were before him.
God, we pray You’d help us to seek You and Your righteousness above everything in this world.
So apparently, success and prosperity in the eyes of the world does not equal success and prosperity before God. Don’t be deceived. Just because you do well financially, just because you do well materially, just because you experience success or prosperity in any way in this world, do not assume this means that you are pleasing God and that your life is counting for what matters most. You may be totally displeasing God, and your life missing the whole point of what matters most, and still be successful in this world.
1 Kings 16:25 Reminds Us to Be Weary of the Pitfalls of This World
So, God, we pray You would guard us all from the deception of success and prosperity and gain in this world. God, we pray that You would guard us all from equating prosperity in this world with prosperity before You. Success in this world, with success in what matters most, according to Your word, God, regardless of any kind or level of success or prosperity in this world. Even in the church world, God, I pray for this, knowing in my own heart and life, having experienced, at times, success, so to speak, in the eyes of the church world. And yet experiencing that, totally devoid of intimacy with You, with a life that was not pleasing to You in those moments. God, we pray that You would help us to live for what matters most in Your sight.
Prayer To Seek God Over Everything Else
God, we pray You’d help us to seek You above all, to walk in holiness before You, in obedience to You. And God, we pray You’d help us to seek You and Your righteousness above everything in this world. God, help us to do good. Help us to proclaim the gospel. Help us to live for Your glory and to know that this is true success: faithfulness to You, faithfulness in Your sight.
God, help us to live for that which matters most, to live for that which is most pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, we pray, based on 1 Kings 16:25. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
