There is an episode in the Bible where Solomon encounters God.
When I read the episode it was really interesting to see what happened and what Solomon asked for. One of the bits that I didn’t pay too much attention to was this,
And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. (1 Kings 3:15)
How many dreams have you had that you remember? They could well be evocative dreams. Dreams that leave you feeling that it was so real you’re surprised it was a dream.
This dream in particular for Solomon, though, was a memorable conversation with God where he got to ask God for anything and he heard God respond in fair detail.
But that was just a dream, wasn’t it? I mean, it wasn’t real, was it? Was it just a dream?
It was clear that it was not just a passing dream, but an encounter with substance when it came to Solomon actively having the discerning heart to know the difference between right and wrong. When the two women arguing over the maternity rights to a baby, it was Solomon’s ability to discern that allowed the truth to be known. I don’t know how many people would have used his approach to find out who the real mother was. But it’s now a matter of record on how wisdom operates.
What that also does for those who seek God is that it highlights the following. Sometimes when you ask God for something – like the key qualities and characteristics needed to be successful in life – opportunities will present themselves to see whether you have it or not.
It’s not far from the case of when you ask for patience, you find yourself in trying situations. When you ask for strength, you go through challenging tasks that stretch you seemingly beyond yourself.
It would be odd, then, to ask God for something in line with His character and will but then be relatively inactive.
It’s often only by being active that we can know if we have what we ask for.
(Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 