Give me wisdom

Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. – 1 Kings 3.9-12

We have all seen films who read books or stories about someone being given three wishes. I guess the main way we see it is through a genie in a lamp. Someone finds the lamp and polishes it an a genie pops out and offer three wishes.

It rarely turns out well. No matter what they ask for and no matter how much they try to figure it out when all is said and done they are back where the started or worse because they didn't think it all the way through.

This is an interesting incident something like the genie in the lamp, but so much more.

God came to Solomon and asked him what he would like. God would give him whatever he asked for.

What would you say? This wasn't a genie – this was God who really could give him anything. What would you and I ask for (if we didn't know this story). We might ask for wealth or fame or popularity or any number of things.

But Solomon asked for wisdom to rule properly. Though he often is not going to exercise the wisdom God gave him, at least at this point he saw the need for it. He knew that wisdom was the principle thing, and therefore as he will write later, we must seek wisdom.

Of course true wisdom only comes from the God of wisdom. The world’s wisdom has us in a terrible mess. Some of the things that have happened in the last few years have shown just how messed up worldly wisdom is.

But the wisdom we seek, which is foolish in the world's eyes, the wisdom that is from above is ‘first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.’

That's the kind of wisdom we need to handle this messed up world. When we pray let’s be like Solomon is our prayer and ask God for that wonderful wisdom from above. And then let's pray that we avail ourselves of that wisdom better than Solomon does.