What Are You Asking God to Give You?

"Ask what you would like to have Me give you."

Yesterday, I read to my grandkids about Solomon.  God had appeared to Solomon in a dream and had said to him, "Ask what you would like to have Me give you."

Solomon responded to God that he was only a child and had no clue of what he was doing.  He asked for an understanding heart.  He said he wanted to be able to understand the people so he would be better able to govern them.  "What do you mean, he was only a child?" my grandson asked.

Solomon responded to God as Jesus tells us we must do, I told Carson.  Jesus tells us we must come as little children, not as adults who think we know everything.  Little children are eager and excited to learn everything they can learn, and adults aren't like that too much of the time.  Adults have a hard time with changing because they don't want to admit they're wrong.  Solomon knew he did not have the wisdom so he asked God to give him wisdom and understanding and God honored his request.

We went on with the story of Solomon and how God made him the wisest man there would ever be on earth.  I read to them about the two women who came to him, one with a dead baby and one with a live baby, but both claiming ownership to the live one.  Clearly, one was lying, but how would Solomon decide which was telling the truth?  Both grandkids were filled with anticipation about how this story would end, especially when Solomon called for a sword.  As soon as the sword was lifted to divide the live baby in half, the true mother begged for his life saying the other woman could have him; just let him live.

It's just like Moses' mother did when she was faced with knowing her baby boy would be killed, I explained.  Any mother who truly loves her baby will do anything to protect that life and Moses' mother decided it was better to give Moses to Pharoah's daughter than to keep him herself.

So, what do we want to ask God for? I asked Carson and Chloe.  You will learn as you get older that many Christians have this all messed up.  You will hear things in the Church that are not true.  You will hear how God just wants you to be happy, and that God just wants to give you the desires of your heart.  You'll hear that God just wants to bless you and bless you.  But listen again to what God says to Solomon:  "Because you have asked for this, and have not asked for long life, or riches, or the life of your enemies, but instead for wisdom and understanding, behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart."

The truth is, I told them, God gives us what we want ... when what we want is what HE wants for us.  I want to tell you something that a lot of older people don't understand about talking to God.  You need alone time with Him.  When you go to bed at night and it is only you with no other noises, talk to God.  You don't have to close your eyes, and you don't have to talk out loud if you don't want; you can just "think" to Him.  Tell Him things like ... 'God, I want to know You better.  God, I want what You want for me.  God, I want to be wise so I can understand and love people better.'  You can tell Him the same thing every night if you want and I promise you, He will be more pleased with your prayers than prayers that are just a long list of requests.

I don't know about you, but this past year, these words have never been as real to me as they are now:  "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."  

I've thought more about Mary and Martha than ever before.  It is a good thing to be in the kitchen; it is a good thing to serve people.  But the ultimate, the very best we can do is sit at the feet of our Father, and let Him tell us exactly what He wants us to do, and when we do this, we hear Him oh, so clearly saying, "Do you truly love Me?  Feed My sheep."

We've made the grievous error in thinking "Feed My Sheep" is all about serving in a manner that involves only our hands (and money).  Using our hands to serve and feed others is absolutely and critically necessary, but if we never come to the understanding that we are called to feed Jesus Himself to others, we miss out on the greatest gift He has to give us.  Can there be any greater gift, any greater joy than to know that our children or any other children are walking in the truth?  Do we truly want ALL He has to give us or do we want to settle for second best?

What I know for sure today is that the Church loves to talk about how much she loves to serve.  What else I know for sure is that I rarely hear the Church talking about the joy that comes only from hearing the truth and then being so full of that joy, it is impossible to keep to yourself!  Remember the woman at the well???  Remember how when Jesus told her the truth, she was so overjoyed at the healing taking place in her own heart that she absolutely, positively could not keep quiet!  She had to RUN to town to let everyone know what Jesus had told her!  We desire a healed heart, but a healed heart comes only from obedience to sharing Him!

"Ask what you would like to have Me give you."  What do you want to ask God to give you?  What are you asking God to give you?  I can tell you this:  When you ask God to give you opportunities to share Him; not just to serve Him in some manner by serving others, but to share HIM, I promise you, your joy will be overflowing.  It will be impossible to keep it to yourself, because you cannot keep the news of YOUR heart being healed to yourself ... and ... you also need to know, the only people who will want to hear it will be the few others who have asked God for the same thing.  You will learn as I have, to stop wanting to be understood by others, and instead, you will only want an understanding heart so you can understand others.

If you are not reading The Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos, to someone, maybe even yourself, strongly consider it, because there really is, no greater joy than to know our children are walking in the truth.  As I think of Billy Graham coming to the end of his life, and I realize his wife used this Bible to train up their children, I am at a loss as to why this book has been overshadowed by all the updated, more contemporary and entertaining children's Bibles.  I am also at a loss as to how we ever began to believe that an hour in Sunday School each week, along with mealtime prayer, a quick little devotion and prayer at bedtime was an acceptable substitute for Deuteronomy 6.  Older and wiser, I now have the time and desire with my grandkids and other people who desire the truth, that I did not have with my own, and the joy is overflowing.