Have you ever prayed for something big? A house? A job with a lot of responsibility? God’s a big God, and I’ve come to the point in my life that He appreciates the bigger requests as it gives Him an opportunity to glorify Himself via His big provision. However, and this may seem like a strange question, but when you’ve prayed for that big thing, have you ever thought what you’re going to do should God graciously agree to your prayer? In other words, He gives you what you want, but now what? What you’ve been praying for is only the first step. The next step is what you’re going to do, with God’s help, to care for or develop what you’ve been praying for. Getting what we pray for is God giving us a gift, so it is only reasonable that we have a responsibility to respect and take the utmost care of His provision as an expression of our gratitude.
In 1 Kings 4 & 5. King Solomon is at the apex, or peak, of his reign as King of Israel. Chapter 4 gives us a lengthy list of the members of his organization structure. Furthermore, we’re given the details of the daily requirements to support this organization structure. Maintaining and growing Solomon’s house is a massive undertaking and responsibility. Chapter 5 provides us an introduction into Solomon’s biggest task – constructing the temple that his father, King David, had wanted to build but was denied due to the blood on his hands from all the battles he fought. We’re given insight to the deal Solomon strikes with Hiram, king of Tyre, to get all the cedar wood that would be necessary for the temple’s construction. Towards the end of the chapter, we’re given the detail of the thousands of men who will be involved in the transportation of the cedars from Tyre as well as other materials for the temple project.
Try to imagine the skills, dedication, and wisdom Solomon must have had to oversee not only his daily operations, but also this massive undertaking of constructing the temple. We can read and be in awe of this incredible abundance and provision, but it all started with one small but foundation-setting step. As you will recall, in the previous chapter, the LORD approached Solomon at Gibeon and said to Solomon, “Ask! What shall I give you?” This is that genie-in-a-bottle moment most of us dream of – we can have anything we want! What was Solomon’s request? – Wisdom. The heart of this request is one that understands the poverty of one’s abilities and the recognition that only God can provide what is necessary to maintain and grow what He gives to each of us.
When we’re praying for something big, we need to check our hearts to make sure our motivations are pure. People have prayed to win the lottery, but when they do, the number of stories of people going broke and their lives ruined are too many to count. While there are obvious great blessings in God’s abundant provision, there are equal responsibilities in properly caring for them. Since it is God’s willingness to be the source of the abundant blessings, it only makes sense that the same source is the one we should be seeking to properly maintain and grow them. The question is, will we? Sounds like good wisdom to me.