If you’ve ever wondered about the existence of God, try interacting with Him. Solomon believed in God and trusted His direction for life. God didn’t leave Solomon with a “hope-so” faith. He engaged the new king with a personal encounter.
While we are not characters in the Bible, we can have similar personal meetings with God. We cheat ourselves, if we ignore God’s willingness to be our friend.
Our Creator is very creative in the various ways He communicates with people. Most of my interactions with God have taken place while reading the Bible. At other times, I have an inner sense that He is guiding my attitudes or actions.
For Solomon, God came to him in a dream.
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” (1 Kings 3:5).
God is not a genie who magically appears from a bottle, telling us we have three wishes. The genie in a bottle thinking of America involves billions of dollars being poured into the lottery with the hope that a financial windfall will take place.
In his interaction with God, Solomon apparently had the prospect of great wealth or health. He asked for something far more valuable.
And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you, and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today.
And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:6-9).
God responded to Solomon’s request by granting him wisdom, riches, honor, and a long life. All of these blessings were contingent on his following God’s guidance.
Making it Personal
Solomon’s request for wisdom is one of the most familiar stories in the Bible. Let’s make it personal by asking ourselves some questions.
(1) Do we believe that our relationship with God involves both speaking to God (prayer) and listening to Him?
(2) Are we seeking an interactive friendship with God as one of the major priorities of our lives?
(3) What spiritual activities do we adopt to make our lives available for communication and communion with God?
Dallas Willard suggest a simple but profound formula to help us think about seeking a personal relationship with God.
- Vision: Anyone who works in sales knows we have to give the customer the desire to want our product. Vision asks us about our desire. It invites us to mentally conceive of the benefits of living in a real and personal friendship with God.
- Intention: Business consultants will tell you that people who have a dream, but no plan to achieve it, are only dreaming. If living as God’s friend is attractive to us, what are we intending to do about it.
What are the things we do with good friends? How much time do we spend with them? How do we try to make their lives better?
At the very least, we should intend to give God the same attention and service with give to our friends.
- Means: There are many ways we can prepare our hearts for interaction with God. Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and many other authors have books that introduce us to the “means” portion of this activity.
Both Willard and Foster have had a profound influence on my life. They have introduced me to the vision and means of friendship with God. Willard has many outstanding videos on YouTube that you can access for free.
I hope you will investigate books and videos to further inspire your friendship with God. In the meantime, consider treating your relationship with God like that of the people who are most important to you.
None of us would doubt that an interactive friendship with God is the greatest gift we could give to ourselves. Let’s make an intentional effort to open the door to this relationship with Him.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 