Devotional:

1 Kings 3.5

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.”

When I go on mission trips, I love asking youth a familiar set of questions. For instance: After a few days of cold-cut sandwiches for lunch at our work sites, I always ask them to share what would be their ideal meal. In a matter on minutes, strangers become best friends over their intense bonds with the likes of Gummi Bears, Big Macs, Snickers Ice Cream Bars, etc.

Occasionally I will ask them to share their favorite movie or book, and I always wind up asking about their favorite story from the bible. The questions are a mechanism by which conversations will begin to flow, but it also helps to create friendships over shared interests with people that never imagined they could be friends.

A few weeks ago while I was serving with a mission team in McDowell County, WV I asked the group one of my go-to questions: “If a Genie offered to grant you one wish, what would you wish for?” Some of the answers were hysterical: “I would ask for a swimming pool full of chocolate syrup” “Definitely a basketball court as my bedroom” and “french fries; lots and lots of french fries.” The question got the conversation flowing and we all began to debate the merits of our particular wishes compared with the wishes of our peers.

Later on that afternoon, while we were cleaning up our tools before heading back to our main site, one of the younger boys from my crew approached me with a strange look on his face. He stood next to me for what felt like a long time before he finally spoke. “I’ve been thinking about your question, you know the one about the Genie, and I finally got my answer: I would wish to be more patient.” In all the quick responses to the initial Genie question, I neglected to ask this young man what he would wish for, and when he finally shared his answer, it hit me deep in my soul.

After his father David died, Solomon was approached by the Lord and was offered anything he wanted. Solomon, though given the opportunity to request anything in the world, asked for wisdom. That young boy on the mission trip, rather than being led by selfish desires for wealth and power, told me that what he really wanted was patience.

When we go to God in prayer, what do we ask for? Are we treating God like a Genie who will give us our greatest wishes? Or are we seeking the Lord’s power to help shape us into the disciples God knows we can be?