PROVISION FOR WISDOM
Our Greatest Need
(1 Kings 3:6–13)
Nearly everybody governs something. You may not be a president of a country, but you likely have the responsibility for overseeing some person or group of people. And with that administration come responsibilities that can seem overwhelming. Consider the family. Whether you are the mother or the father, you share the responsibilities for money, children, education, medical care, extended family relationships, and church and civic involvement. If you don’t have a family, you may oversee a group of employees at your job. Or what about your responsibilities at church? Perhaps you lead a committee or teach a church school class.
Imagine that God comes to you in a dream and tells you He is so pleased with you that He will grant you anything you want. What would you ask for? With regard to the family, perhaps more financial resources would be an option. At work, perhaps you’d ask to be promoted to the next level. In the church or community, you might ask for more influence to witness for the Lord. All of those requests could be justified. But if we look at the answer King Solomon gave to the same question, we find an even higher priority.
Solomon was the newly named king of Israel, following in his father David’s footsteps. Solomon was young and inexperienced, and he faced massive responsibilities. But he was a humble realist—he was not too proud to admit that, without God’s help, he was inadequate for the task. Only one thing would enable him to be successful: a wise and discerning heart. God’s immediate response was this (in paraphrase): “You could have asked for long life, or riches, or the death of your enemies, but you have asked for the best thing. Therefore, I will give you wisdom and discernment to lead my people.”
In reality, do any of us feel totally adequate for the tasks God has given us? Whether you are leading a company or a committee, a franchise or a family, a nation or a neighborhood, God is asking, “What do you need?” A wise heart is not a bad first request.
