"Ask! What shall I give you?" (1 Kings 3:5b)
If these words rumbled through my heart like shock-waves in the dreams of a cool, calm evening, I doubt I would have spewed as elegant an answer as Solomon.
"Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people that I may discern between good and evil..."
Definitely not the response that would have left my shaking, sputtering lips. I'd ask God to hold that thought and come back later (as if He ever leaves). Then I'd hunch over my blog with a nervous peek over my shoulder, open a "What Would You Ask For?" questionnaire, and choose the most popular responses (preferably those from pastors); dial God's call-back number and presto.
Perhaps not. But I'll be the first to raise my hand (a daring feat) and say I wouldn't know what to ask. Do you ever wonder about your response, had you been Solomon? Some pastors say the fact Solomon asked for wisdom proves that he already had great wisdom to start out with. I don't know about that. I gather he just glanced at his mental list of "good spiritual traits to have" and picked the one on top. We all have that list:
If these words rumbled through my heart like shock-waves in the dreams of a cool, calm evening, I doubt I would have spewed as elegant an answer as Solomon.
"Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people that I may discern between good and evil..."
Definitely not the response that would have left my shaking, sputtering lips. I'd ask God to hold that thought and come back later (as if He ever leaves). Then I'd hunch over my blog with a nervous peek over my shoulder, open a "What Would You Ask For?" questionnaire, and choose the most popular responses (preferably those from pastors); dial God's call-back number and presto.
Perhaps not. But I'll be the first to raise my hand (a daring feat) and say I wouldn't know what to ask. Do you ever wonder about your response, had you been Solomon? Some pastors say the fact Solomon asked for wisdom proves that he already had great wisdom to start out with. I don't know about that. I gather he just glanced at his mental list of "good spiritual traits to have" and picked the one on top. We all have that list:
Wisdom
Strength
Humility
Patience
Goodness
Generosity
Self-Control
Et Cetera
Et Cetera
Et Cetera
Strength
Humility
Patience
Goodness
Generosity
Self-Control
Et Cetera
Et Cetera
Et Cetera
Toss on the fruit of the spirit and a little holy dressing and you're set to run that race we're all signed up for. These are the attributes we know we should have, but we don't have; we desperately want them, but aren't sure how to get them. In fact, it'd be much easier to scribble on the spirit-chalkboard at night, "Lord, give me patience." Then wake up the next morning to the word:
Done.
Poof. We're more patient. Poof. We're wise.
But God's not old-school--He doesn't use chalkboards anymore. When I was younger, I figured "wisdom" was the fool-proof answer and I harbored a little bitterness toward Solomon for using it before I could. I prepared myself every night for God's rolling echo: "ASK!" I was ready to pull those covers to my chin and squeak out "Wisdom!"
But the question never came, so I started praying for wisdom. The naive-girl thought process behind the prayer looked something like this:
If I pray for more wisdom, He's got to give it. Then, when I ask for wisdom (in response to His booming question), it will just be the topping on the cake and I'll be extra-wise. After that avid praying I learned something about myself:
I'm not wisdom's biggest fan.
I've never stood in the bleachers with a #1! foam finger, waving and hooting for Wisdom's attention.When I started praying for it, it skipped to my side but didn't skip alone. Clinging to Wisdom's hand with interlocked fingers came an intruder--someone I hadn't asked for and didn't know very well.
Strength.
Knowing the right course of action is far from actually doing it and I wasn't the most obedient doer. It grew increasingly obnoxious, having Wisdom as a friend but not Strength. I felt more and more guilty, seeing all the right choices that Wisdom pointed out, but not taking them.
In the end, I stopped praying for wisdom. If I remembered on a sunny Sunday, I'd pray for wisdom and strength, but secretly hoped for neither because they grew very tiring to keep up. Now that I'm a little older (possibly a little wiser ;), I can honestly say I wouldn't ask God for wisdom. Not because Solomon already did it (and who likes a copycat?). Not because it tuckered me out as a kid. Not because I feel obligated under "good-Christian" pressure to do so. But because I have a different request.
A good 15 years later, I know exactly what I'll ask for.
If God came to me tonight or tomorrow and said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" I could answer with a snap. It may take a few tries to push past the teeth-chattering and eye-twitching awe, but I have an answer--an answer to the question that plagued me as a child: what would you ask for?
So I turn the plague to you. Do you know what you would ask for? God's not a three-wish genie--He doesn't give you a two-wish cushion in case you ask for the "wrong thing" (if there is, in fact, a wrong thing). You may ask once. So if you had to choose, what would it be? What would you pick?
Someday I'll tell you what mine would be (personally, I think it's better the Solomon's), but here's another question: if you desire something that's pleasing to Him, don't you think He'll give it?
If so, why aren't you asking right now? Why do we wait for Him to command us, "ASK!"
I am no longer waiting. Instead, now that I underwent the process of discovering my answer, I bring it before him with a little more confidence than my frightened squeak.
Done.
Poof. We're more patient. Poof. We're wise.
But God's not old-school--He doesn't use chalkboards anymore. When I was younger, I figured "wisdom" was the fool-proof answer and I harbored a little bitterness toward Solomon for using it before I could. I prepared myself every night for God's rolling echo: "ASK!" I was ready to pull those covers to my chin and squeak out "Wisdom!"
But the question never came, so I started praying for wisdom. The naive-girl thought process behind the prayer looked something like this:
If I pray for more wisdom, He's got to give it. Then, when I ask for wisdom (in response to His booming question), it will just be the topping on the cake and I'll be extra-wise. After that avid praying I learned something about myself:
I'm not wisdom's biggest fan.
I've never stood in the bleachers with a #1! foam finger, waving and hooting for Wisdom's attention.When I started praying for it, it skipped to my side but didn't skip alone. Clinging to Wisdom's hand with interlocked fingers came an intruder--someone I hadn't asked for and didn't know very well.
Strength.
Knowing the right course of action is far from actually doing it and I wasn't the most obedient doer. It grew increasingly obnoxious, having Wisdom as a friend but not Strength. I felt more and more guilty, seeing all the right choices that Wisdom pointed out, but not taking them.
In the end, I stopped praying for wisdom. If I remembered on a sunny Sunday, I'd pray for wisdom and strength, but secretly hoped for neither because they grew very tiring to keep up. Now that I'm a little older (possibly a little wiser ;), I can honestly say I wouldn't ask God for wisdom. Not because Solomon already did it (and who likes a copycat?). Not because it tuckered me out as a kid. Not because I feel obligated under "good-Christian" pressure to do so. But because I have a different request.
A good 15 years later, I know exactly what I'll ask for.
If God came to me tonight or tomorrow and said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" I could answer with a snap. It may take a few tries to push past the teeth-chattering and eye-twitching awe, but I have an answer--an answer to the question that plagued me as a child: what would you ask for?
So I turn the plague to you. Do you know what you would ask for? God's not a three-wish genie--He doesn't give you a two-wish cushion in case you ask for the "wrong thing" (if there is, in fact, a wrong thing). You may ask once. So if you had to choose, what would it be? What would you pick?
Someday I'll tell you what mine would be (personally, I think it's better the Solomon's), but here's another question: if you desire something that's pleasing to Him, don't you think He'll give it?
If so, why aren't you asking right now? Why do we wait for Him to command us, "ASK!"
I am no longer waiting. Instead, now that I underwent the process of discovering my answer, I bring it before him with a little more confidence than my frightened squeak.
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1 comment:
Wow! What a difficult question! Guess I'll just have to ask God for the wisdom to know what the answer should be ;)
But thank you for sharing this. I think its always important to be seeking those things anyway, to be seeking the important aspects of the godly character and praying that the Lord will teach them too us, but also important to let Him teach us in His timing and not strive for things too hard.
Thanks again for this encouraging post.
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