What Would You Have?
July 24
What Would You Have?
"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
Today's Story
God appeared to Solomon at Gibeon and offered him anything he wanted. It is one of the most extraordinary offers in Scripture: 'Ask for whatever you want me to give you.' Solomon's response has been pondered for three millennia: he asked not for wealth or power or long life but for wisdom to govern well. God was so moved by the quality of Solomon's request — its other-centeredness, its awareness of inadequacy — that He gave both the wisdom asked and the wealth and honor not asked. The request revealed the character of the heart. God gave proportionally to what He found there.
Reflection
1 Kings 3:5 describes an open-ended divine offer: 'Ask for whatever you want me to give you.' God makes similar invitations throughout Scripture: 'Ask, and it will be given to you' (Matthew 7:7); 'Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets' (Jeremiah 33:3); 'If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask' (James 1:5). The God of Scripture is a God who invites asking. The quality of our requests reveals the orientation of our hearts. If God extended this offer to you today — 'Ask for whatever you want me to give you' — what would you ask for? The answer is a spiritual diagnostic.
Today's Prayer
Lord, if You are asking what I want, my deepest answer is: wisdom. Wisdom to live well, to love well, to serve well. Give me discernment for the people and situations in my care. And in that asking, may my request please You. Amen.
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