What Do You Want?

 We all have things that we want. Most of the time those things are just things that we desire to have, but we know that we may not be able to have them because we have so many things that we need, we can't afford the things that we want. However, I want to ask you to answer this question today. Be careful. Don't ask for just anything, though. God is watching, and He will see what we really desire, and that will say a lot to Him about our character.

After Solomon became king, he went to Gibeon to worship the Lord with all of the leaders of Israel. (II Chronicles 1:7) That night God appeared to Solomon and said, "What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you." What a fantastic opportunity! The All-powerful God of the universe said He would give Solomon whatever he wanted. Solomon made a wise request. If God said that to you, what would you request? Take some time to consider this. I believe it will help us see ourselves better.

Most of the time we say that God will give us what we need, not what we want. That is generally true because He knows that He can't give us all we want. That would hurt us, not help us. He knows that most of the time what we want are not the things that will help us to be more spiritual and grow closer to Him. He knows if He gives us more money or stuff, and we aren't ready for these things, it will be harmful, not helpful. He loves us, so He just can't do that.

However, because of what God said to Solomon, let's suppose that He told us that He would give us whatever we want. What would we say to Him? Do we really want material possessions? If so, why are they important to us? Would we ask for wisdom and understanding, like Solomon? Would we ask for patience or some spiritual gift? Whatever we decided to ask from the Lord, would He be pleased with our request, and the reason we want that thing, so that He would bless us with other things, too. This gives us all something to ponder deeply.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read II Chronicles 2-4.