One wish

There is an old children’s tale about a young Arabian street urchin who finds a magic bottle and discovers there is a genie inside. The child is very poor and has grown up alone on the streets without the support of his parents. Suddenly, all that is changed! He is granted three wishes by the ethereal form spilling out of the neck of the bottle.  Carelessly, the boy frivolously uses up his first two wishes on a magic carpet and a banquet hall feast that included every culinary experience imaginable.

Stuffed to the gills and now down to his last wish the boy carefully calculates his best options for his last wish. So what would be your last wish if given the opportunity to ask for whatever you wanted? Some would try and tempt fate by asking for more wishes but that is not allowed. Others might crave for great wealth, power or glory but those too fall short of the importance of that one final wish.

King Solomon got just that opportunity one night when God appeared to him in a dream and spoke “Ask! What shall I give you?” And to which Solomon replied “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 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. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 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?” 1Kings 3:4-14.

The bible instructs us to ask God, our heavenly father, for the desires of our hearts, without putting   limitations on our requests other than asking within His will. If we think about it, there are no limits to what an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God can do! Do you believe that? Keeping in mind that the only parameter that needs to be considered when making a request is, are you asking within the will of God? The only way to know what the will of God is to study and search through the bible. All the answers to life’s questions are hidden away on the pages, just waiting for us to discover them.

Solomon’s answer pleases God. “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you. And I have also given you what you have not asked; both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statues and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

The half brother of Jesus wrote “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5. It’s one of those truths in life comparable to the sowing of seed and reaping the labor of what you have sown that if we ask for anything in God’s will then it will be given to us. 

So do you know what the will of God is for your own life? Both David and Solomon knew and at times made choices outside the will of God.  Our free will allows us to make choices and to reap from the seeds we have sown. God isn’t a disciplinarian who is just waiting for us to mess things up, but rather He loves us and has given the answers to the test within the bible. It saddens Him to see us make bad choices. But we all must choose to walk with God or walk away from God.  Jesus instructed us to “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” Luke 12:31.

Remember, we can’t take riches, power or anything else with us when pass on through the veil to the other side. So make your one wish to do the will of God.