I was reading today about King Solomon taking over the throne of Israel from his father, David. What an intimidating experience that must have been! His father was (and still is) seen as "Israel's great King" who had a heart for God and lived his life in obedience to him. Solomon, on the other hand, was very young and had already experienced betrayal from one of his brothers trying to take the throne from him. I'm sure that life was very uncertain for him looking at this tremendous responsibility before him. I have felt overwhelmed at times just like that.
1 Kings 3 tells us that one night, Solomon had a remarkable dream in which God told him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." (vs 5). Although Solomon could have asked for riches or honor or power for himself, instead he replied:
"... I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties...So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong".
In the face of overwhelming pressures and worry, Solomon sought God's wisdom above all else. The Bible tells us that God was so pleased with Solomon's choice that he not only granted him the wisdom he asked for, but also blessed him with riches, honor and power beyond that of any king known before or since.
As I reflected on this today, I realized that this isn't just a nice Old Testament story about a great King in history, but it is a powerful example of one of the most fundamental principles for living the Christian life. Thousands of years later, while teaching the multitudes about worry, Jesus explained the principle in this way in Matthew 6:33:
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Seek God FIRST. Before worry, before control, before myself, before my family, before my career, before anything. FIRST. But what do we need to seek? Exactly what Solomon sought. God's wisdom, God's direction and God's plan for our lives. If we do so, the outcome is guaranteed... not only in Solomon's life but in our lives:
- God will give us his wisdom for our lives. When we listen, God promises to speak. Seeking God first opens up the doors to communication with God like never before and allows him to work in and through us in power and grant us peace in the process.
- God will bless us in many other ways as well. Solomon received blessing upon blessing from God because he sought God first. Likewise, Jesus' tells us that by seeking God first "all these things" that we worry about will be taken care of. That's right. God has promised to take care of your financial issues, your family issues, your career issues, your health issues. "All these things" will be given to you if you let them go and focus on Him.
In the end, it all comes down to the choices and priorities we make each and every day of our lives. By choosing God's way, Solomon opened the doors to blessing he never imagined. The key question to ask ourselves is this: If God asked me the same question he asked Solomon, what would my first answer be?
God Bless You!
Jill Cohen
Vice President, Kohath Ministries, Inc.
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