If given the chance to ask for anything - anything at all - from God, what would you request?
I have to admit that I can think of a lot of tempting possibilities. There's always the Mega Millions or Powerball Jackpots. There's also good health and long life, among many other worldly desires. In my selfishness, I wonder if Solomon could have wished for more wishes?
In a way, he did!
Solomon asked for the best thing that he could have: godly wisdom. Wisdom is good as an end in itself, that is true; but wisdom is also valuable for the good that it enables one to do with their life! Truly it can be said that wisdom "pays dividends" because it is a gift that keeps on giving. Solomon's wisdom would be a blessing to his nation and to his reign.
By asking for discernment and understanding, Solomon revealed that he already had a lot of wisdom in the first place. He knew that he knew not. And he wanted to be a good king in place of his father David and rule over the people justly and fairly. His primary concern was not for himself but for his nation and his legacy. That is why God approved and granted Solomon what he requested, as well as giving him many other good things that he could have asked for himself.
We may not get an invitation by God like this to ask Him for something...but the gift He gave the king is open to us as well! We have the recorded wisdom of Solomon, revealed in the Song of Songs, the Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, as well as the rest of the Bible that contains so much instruction. All of that we can take advantage of. Nowadays we also have the Holy Spirit that dwells inside us and gives us the mind of Christ.
The blessings that come with wisdom (kind of like wishing for more wishes!) is open and available to us today. Let us pursue the wisdom of God with every intention of our heart!
No comments:
Post a Comment