Wisdom of Solomon

King Solomon

This year I have continued my tradition of the Jesse Tree. Yesterday, the ornament for the day was of King Solomon and the verse to read was 1 Kings 3:1-14, 16-28. This is the verse where God appears to King Solomon and says: “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” How many of us would love to have that happen to us? If it did, how would we respond?

King Solomon responds: “O Lord, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed my father David; but I am a mere youth, not knowing how to act. I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”

Wow! I would say THAT is the epitome of humility. To admit that you don’t know it all or that you can’t do it on your own. To admit that you are but a small, inexperienced being incapable of fulfilling your purpose without the help of God. To understand the importance of being just in the eyes of God. When you read a little further in the verse, you come to hear the pleasure God takes in Solomon’s response and how he is rewarded for his humility.

King Solomon sought to do the will of God. It is obvious from his response that he wanted nothing more than to be able to know that whatever he did during his reign was the right thing. He didn’t ask for riches or more power for himself. He didn’t ask for bad fortune for his enemies. He knew he had to work from the inside out if he was to make any progress during his reign. He was aware of his imperfections and he knew he had to “fix” himself before he could be of any help to others.

I often pray for inspiration and wisdom that I might inspire others. There are times when there are specific things I need and I add that to my prayer list. Upon reading the response of King Solomon, I decided that I wanted to imitate his humility in prayer. So I came up with this prayer:

O Lord, my God, you have made me, your servant, a faithful disciple, to share your Word with others, but there are times when what I say or how I act is not pleasing to you. My desire is to serve you in the midst of the world. A world filled with so many people with so many different personalities and beliefs. Give me, your servant, a heart and mind of wisdom, understanding and patience to see and meet these people where they are so that when they see me, they see You instead.