WHAT SHALL I GIVE YOU?

I’ve been told that “three-wish stories” occur in almost every culture, all following a similar theme: A benefactor appears and offers to grant three wishes to an unsuspecting beneficiary. The fact that the stories so often occur suggests we all want something we cannot get on our own.

There’s even a “wish story” in the Bible. It happened one night when the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” (1 Kings 3:5). Solomon could have asked for anything—riches, honor, fame, or power. But he asked for none of these things. He requested “an understanding heart” (v.9), or a “hearing heart,” a humble heart to listen and learn from God’s Word. The young, inexperienced king, weighed down with the responsibilities of ruling a vast nation, needed the Lord’s wisdom to govern well.

Am I that wise? If God spoke to me directly and asked what He could do for me, what would I ask for? Would I ask for health, wealth, youth, power, or prestige? Or would I ask for wisdom, holiness, and love? Would I be wise or foolish?

Suppose God asked you what He could give to you. What would you ask for?

God’s wisdom is given to those who humbly ask Him for it. (RBC)