"So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"-- 1 Kings 3:9
In an era where almost nothing stays the same for consecutive years, one of my favorite things about God is that he remains the same. Whatever wonders he was able to conjure up in our favorite Bible stories that persons in those narratives prayed for, he is still capable of doing today (1 Kings 3:3-15).
It's okay if you don't believe me; I too have yet to see the Potomac River split in two, nor have I seen the Jefferson Memorial relocated to the middle of Anacostia overnight due to someone's fervent prayers.
Why don't these things happen? Well, besides the fact that God isn't frivolous with his power, we lack the faith, prayer life and character that enable God to do the monumental in our lives. There can be books written on each of these subjects (and they have been by great authors) but let's focus on our character. Persons even in the infancy of their spirituality know that sin is what separates us from God. The more that we wallow in sin without seeking repentance due to the unnecessary guilt that we place on ourselves, the wider and deeper the divide becomes between us and our Creator (Isaiah 59:1-2). However, when we strive to live the best lives we can, (strive because no one goes without sinning, no matter how much they may give you that impression) the possibilities that we can have with our relationship with God are limitless.
This is what Solomon experienced when he first ascended upon the throne. Since we live in a culture where your inadequacies are highlighted no matter how many good deeds you have done, most of us will probably remember the hundreds of women Solomon married, and the hundreds of women that he didn't. However the headline scripture tells us an early tale of Solomon that is exemplary for all persons striving to be Christ-like. In verse 5, we see that Solomon was so pleasing to God, that God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."
Think about this for a minute. What does that tell us about God? For me, it tells me that if we continuously strive to do well, that God will want to fellowship with us! Notice that it was not Solomon himself that initiated the contact between the two of them in the middle of the night, it was God. Therefore, no matter what our situation may be, whether we are prosperous or near poverty, we should have holy anticipation of God drawing near to us because of our Let's now get to the matter of what God said. Just imagine if God told you to ask him for whatever you wanted. This being that controls our entire universe and universes undiscovered, is telling you that all you have to do is say the Word and that desire belongs to you. What would you ask for? Solomon probably made the request that maybe less than one perfect of persons who have ever lived on this Earth. Seeing that he was a new king who wanted to do his job effectively and the way God would want him to, he asked for infinite wisdom. Wow! Not wealth or fame, but wisdom to do the right things. We may look at that as a waste of request, but God himself was so impressed by Solomon's request that not only did he give Solomon the wisdom he desired, but also riches and honor so that there would never be a king that was equal to him.
When we have the right character, God not only draws close to us, but we have the wisdom to ask for the right things. We do not treat God as if he's a genie or make attempts to prostitute him with our selfish requests. Instead, our discernment developed through reading his Word allows us to make requests that would ultimate honor God and benefit everyone around us.
Work on who you are, pray more, and watch the right things come to you.