If the Lord appeared to you in a dream by night, and said to you, “Ask what I should give you; go on, ask for anything…” What would you ask for? Be honest…
Would you ask God for money? I don’t think most of us would pray for riches or extravagant wealth; we know that’s not how God operates; we know it would be rather selfish of us.
But maybe a little money would be nice. Enough to get out of debt. Enough to keep our old car running a few more years. Enough to not lay awake at night, worrying about finances… And, of course, enough to increase our pledge to the church…
That would all be good, right?
What else would you ask God for? Good health. Healing. Enough strength to make it through the day…
Former President Jimmy Carter, who is just a month and a half away from his 100th birthday, has been in hospice for some time. He stated recently that he just wants to live long enough to be able to vote in the next election. And because he is such a man of deep faith, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s one thing he’s asked God for. “God, just let me live long enough to cast my vote…”
What would you ask God for?
Solomon, as we know, asked for wisdom.
Solomon already had the kingship, so he didn’t have to ask for that. Presumably, Solomon had the knowledge he needed to be king. He knew what the kingship entailed, and what the requirements of the job were. So he didn’t have to ask for that.
So he asked for wisdom.
And this pleased the Lord. And so, because Solomon asked for wisdom, the Lord promised Solomon not only wisdom, but also the riches and honor and the glory that Solomon didn’t ask for.
Solomon could have it all.
I remember reading this story as a kid. We read it in Sunday School. And then, as I walked home from church, or as I lay in bed at night, waiting to fall asleep, I’d think about this story.
And I’d think: Solomon asked for wisdom; and God gave Solomon not only wisdom, but also riches and honor.
If Solomon had just asked for riches and honor, would God have given that to Solomon? Probably, because God promised to give Solomon whatever he asked for.
But what about me? I don’t know that God would give me riches and honor, if that was what I asked for. Besides, praying for riches and honor—praying for wealth—that would be selfish, wouldn’t it?
But if I pray for wisdom, maybe God would then grant me the same as he granted Solomon, giving me wisdom, and also wealth!
So: God, give me wisdom!
I thought I was being pretty clever.
Well, I don’t really know how to answer the question of whether or not God gave me the wealth that my heart was really praying for, even if I didn’t admit it. Most days, I don’t feel rich. Most days, money is a source of anxiety for me, as I struggle to pay the bills; and yet I know that, compared to so many people all around the world, I have incredible wealth.
And I don’t really know how to answer the question of whether or not God has given me wisdom. I think maybe I have just enough wisdom to know that there is still so much more wisdom yet to acquire.
School is designed to give us knowledge. School isn’t designed to give us wisdom.
I had great teachers growing up, and they were really good at helping me acquire knowledge. And some of them even shared a little wisdom along the way.
But that wasn’t their job. Their job was to fill us with knowledge.
When I began substitute teaching, some of the teachers I taught for did a remarkably good job of helping their students gain wisdom as well as knowledge. They helped their students acquire knowledge, and then asked them, “now, what are you going to do with that knowledge?”
And that question—What are you going to do with that knowledge—is the beginning of wisdom.
I was so fortunate to sub for those teachers many times over the years. One of them in particular, who was Ethan’s high school English teacher when he was in school, would often call me when she needed a sub, and her lessons were always filled with wisdom. They forced students to think about how they were using the knowledge they were acquiring.
A couple of times, I also subbed for PE coaches, including some sports team coaches. Fortunately the team coaches always had assistants who would run the practice, because I’m the last person you’d want running your team practice, but I did get to know a few of those coaches well enough to see how they not only coached players in learning and playing a sport, they also imparted wisdom to their players, and I was impressed.
It was kind of like the wisdom that famed UCLA basketball coach John Wooden imparted to his players. John Wooden was a member of the Disciples of Christ, and he was almost as famous for his wisdom as for his coaching skills. I heard him speak once, at a church event when I was a teenager. I didn’t even know who he was at the time, but I could tell that he was greatly respected for his wisdom.
I have to think that at least some of that wisdom came from his involvement in the church. I’m sure there were other sources of wisdom as well, but the church is one place where we learn what to do with the knowledge we’ve acquired.
In my previous congregations, I got to watch many young people mature from childhood into adolescence and then young adulthood. And, as often happens, many of them drifted away from church in young adulthood.
But I kept in touch with them, and I followed them on social media, and I could see the effect that growing up in the church had on them.
On social media in particular, on their Instagram and TikTok pages, they displayed a level of maturity that was greater than many others on social media. What they posted wasn’t all about them; they were concerned about issues affecting other people. And their social media accounts showed a level of respect toward others that was often missing in the online world.
And some of the wisdom and maturity they demonstrated on social media—and still demonstrate today—I knew, came from growing up in the church.
Which makes me so thankful that so many have gained so much wisdom—the type of wisdom that isn’t often taught in school—by being involved in the church.
Many of you know what I’m talking about. If you were here on Youth Sunday last spring, I know you know what I’m talking about. You saw the wisdom of our youth here at First Christian Church, which they shared with us.
I’m thankful for the youth ministry that takes place in our congregation and in our region, and for the people who help make it happen, because of how this ministry helps our young people acquire wisdom.
For me, wisdom came from church, and it also came from my experience as a boy scout. As a boy scout, I learned not only important skills and knowledge, such as first aid, but also the importance of being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. For me, those twelve points of the scout law were—and are, to this day—important influences on me, much like the list of spiritual fruits found in the book of Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
These are some of the sources of wisdom for me.
The event where I heard John Wooden speak took place at Chapman University, a Disciples-related university in southern California. A few years later, I began my own education at Chapman.
At the time, Chapman had a good, strong ethics program. Studying ethics is a good way to gain wisdom—ethics teaches us how to use the knowledge we acquire—and I took many classes that were a part of the ethics program at Chapman.
In more recent years, Chapman has given in to pressure from wealthy donors, and has shrunk its ethics program to just one or two classes, even while greatly expanding its law school, its business school, and many other schools and programs.
Perhaps the shrinking of their ethics program contributed to the fact that Chapman’s former law school dean has been criminally indicted and forbidden from practicing law in California, because of his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
I happen to know this former law school dean personally. He’s invited me into his house. And he’s a nice guy. So I don’t know what happened. Maybe he should have asked God for wisdom, like Solomon did.
Chapman is still a great university, and I’m still proud to be a Chapman alum. But I do wish they wouldn’t neglect their ethics program.
Because wisdom is something we can all use more of. We need more wisdom. That’s something that was true in biblical times, and it’s something that’s especially true today.
The writers of scripture knew this. Wisdom literature is one of the main genres of scripture. The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job are entirely in that wisdom genre; the book of Psalms and the Song of Solomon are sometimes considered wisdom literature as well. And many other passages in other books of the Bible are of the wisdom genre.
Because we need wisdom. We need the knowledge that we get from school, but we also need the wisdom that we get from the church; the wisdom that comes from God.
I think what we need is more people praying for wisdom, as Solomon did. Even with all his wisdom, Solomon made some wrong choices, but how much more worse things would have been if he didn’t have that wisdom.
It’s not always easy to make the right choices. It’s not always easy to know how to love our neighbor as Christ commands. It’s not always easy to follow the way of Christ.
But if we pray for wisdom, seek wisdom, meditate on wisdom… then perhaps we’ll make more right choices than wrong choices…
And perhaps we’ll find it easier to stay on the path, or return to the path, that Christ calls us to.
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