Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?—1 Kings 3:7-9
I have loved this passage since the first time I read it many years ago. Solomon, sound asleep, speaks by the good grace of God and asks for an understanding heart to judge Gods people. My favorite part is HOW he asks...Lord, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. This always makes me smile because it reminds me of a favorite saying of my mom to me as a kid...Jean, are you coming in or going out!? Do you need help deciding?
The older I get, the more I understand how very little I understand. Truly, I am a stranger on this earth and need help in my comings and my goings. Having had sixty years to become acquainted with me and all my inherent weaknesses, what I DO understand is this: My true strength is found as I place my trust moment by moment in my God. The Lord is my Lamp...He knows how to navigate the darkness of this world...light dwells with Him! James tells us that if any of us lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach. Divine wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits...without partiality and without hypocrisy.
I am grateful that His strength is made perfect in my weakness. I am thankful that the longer I walk with the Lord, the more He shows me my weakness, insufficiency and need. AND that is such a good thing because it causes me to draw nearer to Him who is good and does good...to Him who becomes for me whatever my need may be. Oh, how happy is the man whose God is the Lord, who not only names and rules the stars, but also stoops to heal the broken-hearted and bind up their wounds.
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—1 Corinthians 12:9-10
