If you could ask the Father for anything ∙

If you could ask the Father for anything ∙

 God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” – 2 Chronicles 1:7

Psalms 119:96-100

 96 Even perfection has its limits, but your commands have no limit.

 97 Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long.

 98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide.

 99 Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws.

 100 I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments.

We all know the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp. It was retold by Walt Disney Pictures in 2019. It’s the story of a poor street urchin who finds a magic lamp. As he rubs the lamp, suddenly a genie appears. A magical opportunity opens itself up for Aladdin. The genie tells him he will grant him three wishes. Everyone knows this is a fairytale because sadly there are no magic lamps or genies. However, there is a Father in heaven, the living God. He interacts with people and responds to prayer. In a few remarkable circumstances, He appears in a dream, a vision, or even in person. At the beginning of Solomon’s reign, the Father essentially asked him to “make a wish.”

The Father has a personal conversation with King Solomon. The Father was straightforward, He asked, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” (2 Chronicles 1:7). It is as though the Father was acting the part of a mythical genie granting wishes. When Solomon responds, he reveals his character and the desires of his heart. Solomon made great choices. His choices are examples for us to emulate.

2 Chronicles 1:7-10

 7 God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

10 Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?”

How can children of the King become ever wiser and make good, better, and the best choices? Learn from Solomon. When we develop a righteous character and become wise, many wonderful things often follow and so it was Solomon.

2 Chronicles 1:11-12

 11 God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people –

 12 I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!”

What is Wisdom? Wisdom is a bit of an oddity. On the one hand, it is a gift. The Father has given the gift of wisdom to many over the millennia. Yet, on the other hand, it is a skill that can be acquired and developed.

The Hebrew word translated as wisdom is chokma. Chokma is basically “skill for living.” Wisdom is the ability to make sagacious use of knowledge.

Wisdom is the ability to see and comprehend things from the Father’s perspective. How does the Father think? Being omniscient and omnipresent, He has the extraordinary ability to know and comprehend all things.

Wisdom is the special capability to understand, discern, and make exceptional decisions intuitively. Wisdom penetrates the inner being of people, providing insight and comprehension of their innermost thoughts, feelings, and motivations (John 2:24-25). When wisdom permeates hearts and minds. It empowers comprehension, discernment, shrewdness, moral and practical implementation.

Wisdom permeates hearts and minds. It empowers comprehension, discernment, shrewdness, moral and practical implementation.

The Father’s wisdom is hidden from all but children of the King. Yet He delights in making it known to all who seek Him.

REFLECT & PRAY

Psalms 51:6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and want me to possess wisdom.

Father, oh how I desire to be wise. Encourage me to spend quality time in your Word, grow in wisdom, and make ever better decisions as I go through life.

INSIGHT

The best news is that even the naïve, slow, average, or ignorant can all become wise. He desires to make wise the simple (Psalms 19:7). Wisdom is available to all who seek it by exercising their mind and heart to learn, comprehend, and apply the Word of God. It begins with entering into a relationship with the living God.

King David was a perfect example of a person who acquired wisdom.

Psalms 119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.

Where did David’s wisdom come from? Sheep do not make for great conversationalists and they have a very limited vocabulary. David spent hours upon hours alone with them. How did he use his time? He spent a great deal of time with the Father, reading and memorizing His words. He cherished them and locked them in his heart forever.

Psalms 119:11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.

Psalms 119:100 I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments.

David without doubt had a superior intellect. Regardless, that was not the basis of his extraordinary talents and decision-making ability. He became wiser than all of his elders and teachers by meditating on the Word of God. David demonstrated time and time again his ability to integrate faith, knowledge, and experience with his deep understanding of the Word of God. He had extraordinary tolerance for the ambiguities and uncertainties of life. For decades, David more than managed life’s ups and downs, he vanquished them. He didn’t just survive, he thrived.

Every child of the King has been granted an unlimited resource for acquiring knowledge and wisdom. It is up to us to determine how we spend our time. We choose how wise we become. It all boils down to how we spend our time.

Ecclesiastes 7:25 I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.

In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is personified. Wisdom seeks us to make us wise.

Proverbs 1:20-25

 20 Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square.

 21 She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate:

 22 “How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge?”

 23 “Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise.”

 24 “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. “

 25 “You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered.”

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand” (Albert Einstein).

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 1-31-2

© Dr. H 2022