Monday meditation: we can choose Solomon’s prayer first and most
Two friends went to the doctor last week for confirmation of a feared diagnosis, and I prayed for them first thing that morning. “Lord, give them wisdom, peace, and joy.”
Such praying has become something of a habit for me. Whenever I discover a friend battling a fearful physical condition, I ask God to give them and their doctors the wisdom to make right decisions.
Several who have lost spouses stay in touch with me, and regularly I pray the same for them.
I ask God’s wisdom for leaders in our church, seeking to equip our congregation to touch an increasingly godless but searching community. I’ve sought God’s wisdom for couples in troubled marriages.
And almost every day, I ask God to give me wisdom to decide what’s best next for Evelyn and for me.
This is not because I’m following some “power of positive thinking” advice. King Solomon himself set the example of praying for wisdom. He knew what many have discovered: True wisdom begins with God. Our instincts or experience or even our education are not enough.
Caregivers may especially relate to one phrase in Solomon’s prayer: “I do not know how to go out or come in.” Confronted with the challenge of maintaining a household, dealing with unexpected emergencies (stuff like water in the basement, a broken disposal, a warning light on the dashboard), and responding to ever-evolving symptoms of disability in their loved one, caregivers sometimes don’t know whether they’re coming or going.
The Lord’s half-brother, the apostle James, knew what we should do. “If any of you lacks wisdom,” he wrote, “let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Maybe James was thinking of King Solomon’s prayer. Maybe he even somehow knew about millions of God-fearing caregivers in the centuries to come, threatened by sadness, dealing with loss, and unsure about the right next steps.
‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.’
Such caregivers may come to see there’s a blessing in confronting a progressive, incurable disease. Like Solomon, they may realize they just don’t have enough within themselves to overcome what’s in front of them. And so, confused or afraid or weary with all they’re facing, they finally give up and tell God he’s their only hope.
I’ve admitted that to God, even as some days I’ve continued to try to handle things by myself. My attempts at self-sufficiency have always been futile. I wish I had begun to understand that much, much sooner.
Read: 1 Kings 3:5-14
Pray: There are days, Lord, when we don’t know where to turn or how to decide. But we believe you know. Give us insight that comes only from you, Lord, as we seek to live by what we already know is your will. Give us wisdom, and the courage to abide by it.
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