Seeking Wisdom

by Ben

I read 1 Kings 3-6.

Solomon is now king and seems to be following God's will.

"When given the chance to have anything in the world, Solomon asked for wisdom so that he could lead well and make right decisions...Notice that Solomon asked for wisdom to carry out his job. He did not ask God to do the job for him." ~A commentary in the Student's Life Application Bible

We see this wisdom in the story of the two prostitutes laying claim to a baby. We all know the story: Solomon says to cut the child in two and the real mother says to let the child live. Does this glaze over us? Have we lost the meaning and power of this story? Sure, the message is simple enough, but I think repetition has blurred the importance of this kind of wisdom. Most of us today don't know how to handle conflict, and even moreso, we don't know how to think. We do things either by rote or by instruction. Thinking and wisdom have gone by the wayside. "Why know something when we can look it up?"

We see this in every facet of life: from schools to the workplace. I know that I do it. I know that I let slip opportunities for growth and learning when it is much easier to pass it by. The rest of the commentary relates:

"We can ask God for this same wisdom (James 1:5)...We should not ask God to do for us what he wants to equip us to do ourselves. Instead we should ask God to give us the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to follow through on it."

So let's get to the prayer:

Father, we come to you seeking guidance. Lead us in our daily lives as we try to emulate Jesus. Help us to know what to say and what to do in our decisions. Allow us kingdom vision that we might be able to know what to do to enact your will. Be with us this day as we try to live faithfully in your grace and strive to accomplish the work that you have put before us. Lord, thank you for the opportunity to serve you. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.