Wisdom (audio version feat. a message from Taelyn)
Read Time: 9 mins 53 secs
That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” Solomon replied, “You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne. “Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!”
1 Kings 3:5-13 NLT
The Bible is full of powerful promises, but one of the best ones is found in the first chapter of James when the writer promises us that if anyone lacks wisdom, they can ask God and He will give it generously to them. Anyone who needs wisdom can ask God for it, and they’ll have it poured out liberally. Isn't that good news?
I’ve been blessed to be given a lot of opportunities to give others a chance to hear and accept the good news of the gospel that has brought peace, purpose, and prosperity to my life. And while I love it, it is a lot to navigate. I’m currently the pastor of two amazing congregations in the cities of Cleveland and Canton, OH, where we are seeking to implement systems, energize our culture, and develop individuals to better love, live, and lead like Jesus. I get to serve as a young adult coordinator for the Allegheny West Conference, where I get to support, implement, and mentor young adult initiatives and individuals throughout the states of Ohio, western Pennsylvania, parts of Virginia, and West Virginia. I have the opportunity to serve as part of the Executive Committee of the Columbia Union, which helps to advise and enhance the work happening within the conferences, health systems, and institutions of higher education throughout the Columbia Union. I’ve also been given the opportunity to be a part of the Proclaim evangelism training cohort, where I’ve been doing training in the DMV with the Chesapeake Conference throughout the year. Then you can sprinkle in some other boards, committees, and initiatives I have the opportunity to be a part of to help push the mission of God forward.
That’s some of the stuff directly tied to my churches and conference, but as you know, I also serve as Worship Pastor for ROAR, and aside from seeking to provide leadership, pastoral care and spiritual coaching for the over a dozen team members across the United States, we’re in the process of planning and preparing for worship experiences, evangelistic events and community building/discipleship initiatives across the country this year. I write weekly devotional studies and record a podcast audio version of those same devotionals to help encourage, inspire, and shepherd close to two thousand subscribers each week. And I still have many other books, training, and curriculum ideas that God has me developing as we speak.
Most importantly, I’m a husband and a growing man. My family is my first church, and I can't pour publicly if I'm empty privately. I can’t help any institution be much more holistically healthy than I am as an individual. That's why my inner life is a top priority. Paul even said to Timothy that the requirement for a church leader is for their personal and familial life to have positive fruit before they honestly seek to help others do it.
So I have a lot I’m navigating. And while I want to be clear that it’s challenging, stretching, and sanctifying, I love it. It’s a lot, but I can't imagine doing anything else but using every gift, resource, and opportunity to help others find the same peace, purpose, and prosperity in Jesus that I've found. That's why I need wisdom more and more each day.
It’s a lot to deal with other broken people each day. It’s a lot to make sure I have what I need physically, emotionally, and spiritually when my phone is buzzing 24/7. It takes a lot to steward energy and opportunities and steer ships in the right direction. This is why that promise for wisdom means so much to me. I need wisdom to know when to speak and when not to. I need wisdom to know how to spend finite resources like time, energy, and capacity. I need wisdom to deal with emotional, finite, needy, and opinionated people. I need wisdom.
You can likely identify with me. It’s been said that the average person makes over 35,000 decisions a day. We have a lot we are navigating and managing. For Solomon, it was a kingdom, but maybe for you it's your business or your family or navigating the path to your future. Maybe you're navigating relationships, career opportunities, or health challenges. God has put a lot in front of you, and you need wisdom to steward and navigate it well. You too need wisdom to steward what God has entrusted you with and called you to go after.
You need wisdom to know what to say yes to and no to. You need wisdom to pick between opportunities and options. You need wisdom to navigate opinions and pressures. You need wisdom to know how to work with people and their complex emotions and relationships. You need wisdom to know how to steward your time and energy. You need wisdom to discern a new relational, educational, or occupational opportunity. You need wisdom to navigate being a good spouse, parent, or leader. You need wisdom. The good news is that God has all the wisdom you need to navigate all of the situations you find yourself in, and He is more than happy to pour it out on those who need it. That’s the good news today. The song says, " Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer,” but I want to amend it to say, " Oh, what wisdom we often forfeit!” What you need is there! Just ask!
Ask For Wisdom
We see evidence of this in the first installment of the book of Kings. Solomon, the son of David, has just been crowned king, and I can imagine he is starting to feel the pressure. It’s one thing to lead a small church or company, but can you imagine leading a country? Solomon himself said he felt like a little kid who didn’t know his left from right, and he is succeeding his father, who was considered the most beloved king for years to come. The standard is high. The lights are on. Can you imagine the pressure to perform? The fear of failure? The potential for distraction? But the good news is that God is eager to supply his needs.
God goes to Solomon and gives him a blank check. I want to pause here and point out the fact that God goes to Solomon; Solomon doesn’t have to beg God. Isn’t it good news that we have a God who wants to help us and provide for us so that we can prosper? He has given you all you need for life and godliness. He's given you all you need for more. He doesn't want you to live below the life of abundance He dreamed of for you, so He is ready, willing, and seeking to help you move forward into better. Isn’t that good news?
God comes to Solomon the same way God is coming to you, and Solomon can ask for anything: riches, fame, health, an easy life, or for his enemies to all die or become his greatest supporters. This is like a genie in a bottle offering wishes, and Solomon could’ve asked for anything to benefit him or bless him. But instead of thinking of how he could serve himself, Solomon thinks of others and his ability to adequately serve them. This is big.
Solomon starts by focusing on the people. He mentions how numerous the people are and asks for an understanding and gracious heart to discern between good and evil and adequately judge and lead them. He is humble enough to recognize the enormity of the task and ask God to help Him steward it well, not for his own good but for the good of others. How many of us can say that if God gave us a blank check we’d ask for help in helping others? How many of us can say that if God gave us a blank check we’d ask to be more loving towards others? How many of us can say that if God gave us a blank check we’d ask Him to benefit others more than we ask Him to bless us?
It reminds me of Paul’s words about Jesus in Philippians chapter two when he says that Christ was fit to be the name above all names because He looked out for others more than Himself. God is able to trust us with more when He knows we will use it not for ourselves but to continue His mission of benefiting others. Can we say that we’ve considered everything we’ve been given as an opportunity to give to others? Do we see our house as a place to serve or a place to be served? Do we see our car as a gift to us or a gift for us to use? Do we see our education, time, platforms, and resources as something to benefit us or something to be used to benefit others? It seems like Solomon saw the role of king and the opportunity to receive anything from God as more tools to impact the people around him, and this mindset pleased God. This others-centered mentality is what leads to God blessing Solomon abundantly.
Seek First and All
God responds by saying, because you asked for wisdom to serve others and not anything to serve yourself, I’ll throw in everything that will serve you. It reminds me of Jesus’ words when He says not to worry about what we want or need but to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything else will be added. God is telling us today that if we realign our focus toward Him and His righteousness, everything else we crave will be satisfied.
The issue with many of us is that we make God an add-on to our plan instead of the entire plan in itself. We try to add God on top of everything else instead of focusing solely on Him and His mission, and receiving the inner fulfillment that comes from it. We’re all chasing safety, identity, purpose, and passion, and God is saying, I’ll give it all in abundance if you just put me first. But we keep trying to take the scenic route to satisfaction.
We think, “I’m going to make the money and then give some to God.” “I’m going to build the relationship and then give it to God.” “I’m going to build the business, name brand or empire for myself and then give it to God,” but God is saying to forget all that and dedicate your entire life to abiding with me and producing spiritual fruit, and I’ll throw in some extra stuff. Genuinely seek Me first, and all will be added. Everything else will be fulfilled.
I love the contrast of Genesis 11 and 12. In chapter 11, the Tower of Babel was built so that the people could make themselves a famous and great nation, and it failed, but in chapter 12, God promises a great name, fame, and so much more to a guy named Abram who simply follows Him. Are you catching this? What they fight for and fail for in 11 is given in 12 for simply following, not fighting. You can build on your own and fail or seek God and gain what others failed fighting for.
This is a call for us to seek God and His kingdom above everything else. Seek the wisdom to help others more than you seek to prosper yourself, and God will throw in everything else you need as an addition. That’s the cheat code many of us ignore. While the Christian life isn’t perfect by any means, I do think it’s the best way to achieve the things many of us are fighting for at the core. At the deepest parts of us, we’re looking for things like belonging, acceptance, identity, respect, love, peace, purpose, joy, and safety. We build our careers and lives to try to gain those things. God is saying to seek me first, and I’ll give you that in higher dosage than you could earn on your own. Dedicate your life fully to me, and while it will be hard and there will be trials, there will be sacrifices; it’ll be worth it. Commit your life to seeking God and loving people. Don’t go halfway in. Give yourself to God fully. And He will make sure everything else you truly need is provided.
