Solomon only asked for wisdom. As I reflected on the scriptures I read, I realized that without wisdom, we would bring destruction to our lives and others. Therefore, we must continue to pray for wisdom and understanding in all we do. Wisdom and understanding are what allows us to reason, problem solve, and make the best decisions based on situations. If a man has millions of dollars and has no wisdom as to how to use that million dollars, he will eventually lose the money. If a man has a business and doesn’t have wisdom as to how to grow that business, it will eventually stagnate. If a man has 5 properties and doesn’t have wisdom as to how to keep them, chances are that eventually, the man will lose those properties. One of the most important things to pray for is wisdom, not money, riches, or material things, but wisdom. We can have all of that and still not have wisdom. Wisdom will guide us in the decisions we make not only for ourselves but for others, including our children and generations that will come after us. Wisdom will guide us in the decisions we make for our children, our health, and well-being. If anything we get from reading the book of Solomon, it should be to pray and ask God for wisdom in every single thing we do. Wisdom will help us to raise our children accordingly. Wisdom will stop us from cussing out the person that actually deserves to be cussed out, but wisdom says, “Stop, pause. It’s not worth it.” Wisdom reminds us to forgive those who have hurt us. Wisdome reminds us that we cannot only love those who we know, but we must love all humanity, even if they are different than us, even if they do not believe in the same things as us, wisdom says, we do not have to agree with everything, but we do have to show love to others. Therefore, we need to pray for wisdom and understanding as it relates to our friendships, relationships, marriages, and everything in our lives. We need to pray for wisdom even in the jobs we go to every day. After all, for some of us, wisdom and understanding are what have kept some of us as to why we didn’t tell our bosses a piece of our mind when they mistreated us. Wisdom and understanding will remind us that there’s a time to be silent, and there’s a time to speak. There’s a season for everything. Wisdom & understanding will guide the way we react to situations or even the way we may respond to certain comments. Wisdom and understanding will remind us that we cannot accept injustice and/or oppressions. Wisdom and understanding will guide us in everything we do, but we must remember that wisdom and understanding doesn’t come from us. It is something we must continually pray for daily. We cannot ignore how critical wisdom and understanding are in our lives. Wisdom and understanding will say, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindness” (Psalm 25:4-6).
This blog has been written based on my reading of 1 Kings. Specifically when Solomon was called to be king, he admitted he was a little child and that he did not know how to go out or come in (1 Kings 3:7) the people were too numerous to be numbered or counted (1 Kings 3:8). Solomon knew he had to discern between good and evil, and we learn from the reading that Solomon knew he could not solely depend on his own abilities (1 Kings 3:10). Due to Solomon asking for understanding to dicern justice, he was given that according to his words (1 Kings 3:11-12). Solomon was given a wise and understanding heart, plus what he did not ask for (1 Kings 3:12 – 14). Whatever it is that we are asking for in our own lives, we must remember to also ask for wisdom and understanding. We too must remember to ask for a wise and understanding heart in every single thing we do, from parenting, maintaining friendships, relationships, finances, our health and anything else that you can thing of, ask for wisdom and understanding. I, too, am applying this to my life. Remember, the scriptures are given to us to guide us in everything we do in our lives. It is easy to get busy and to forget that the scriptures are like a Floorplan. The scriptures are a Floorplan to our daily lives, regardless of what this world tells us.
Written by Natalee Antoinette
Naj Johnson 