1 KINGS 3:5-10 – “At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.”
THEME OF THE DAY: WHEN LIFE IS OVERWHELMING. As we read today’s scripture to say Solomon felt overwhelmed with the task placed before him would be extremely understated. He is the king. He is in charge. All the people look to him for guidance, provision, protection and everything else monarchs are to provide for their subjects. And this wasn’t just a handful of people. Read again Solomon’s words – “And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.” There were no schools in which to enroll in order to get a degree in kingdom leadership. And there were no internships offered for those being groomed for the throne. No, it is simply, “Solomon, you are king. Get to it.” Yes, he was overwhelmed, and he teaches us two valuable lessons when we are overwhelmed in life. By the way, it isn’t “if we will be overwhelmed”, it is “when we are overwhelmed.”
The first lesson is to run to God with what is overwhelming us. Solomon was visited by the Lord in a dream one night. He was sensitive to this visitation, and the Lord gave him a command – “Ask what I shall give you.” What did Solomon do? He prayed and confessed that he was in over his head and desperate for the Lord’s intervention. Friends, do you lie awake at night fretting over what is overwhelming us? Take it to the Lord. Fast. Wrestle with Him like Jacob (Genesis 32:22-32). Labor to be open, transparent, and simply unburden our hearts to the Lord. He loves such intimacy with us, and this type of close relationship with Him is what He seeks to accomplish by placing us in overwhelming situations.
Another lesson from King Solomon is to be quick to confess weaknesses and dependency on the Lord – “And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.” This sounds so easy, and it is in words. Our actions reveal otherwise. The difficulties we have in living dependent on the Lord is the ease of our seeking to control and change overwhelming circumstances in our lives. A true confession of our weaknesses and dependency on the Lord will include our words and actions of dependency. The actions are trust in His promises, confident praying, and applying His Word in our situations with a refusal to lean on our own understanding and strength (Proverbs 3:5-7).
So, when life gets overwhelming and it will, God ensures it will, apply these lessons from King Solomon. They will draw us closer to the Lord and enable us to rejoice in our times of being overwhelmed because of our nearness to Him.
PRAYER: Father, may I gladly submit to You as You purge me from self-sufficiency and my own reasoning.
REFLECTION: God takes all His children to places where all they have is Him and His sufficient grace.