If you could ask for anything you wanted, but only one thing, what would it be?
If you knew someone else needed something, would you use your wish to help that person instead?
A man named Solomon lived about 3,000 years ago. He was the third king of Israel, and he loved God. God told him to ask for anything he wanted, and God would give it to him. Let’s see what happened.
In your Trailbook or Bible:
1 Kings 3:3-15
1 Kings 4:20-34
1 Kings 11:1-8
Solomon could have asked for anything… riches, fame, power, or anything else. Instead of asking for something selfish, he asked God for wisdom to be a good leader of the people. By asking for wisdom, Solomon was asking God to help him do what was right.
God answered Solomon’s prayer. He made him incredibly smart, but it was more than just knowing a lot of things. God helped him understand how to use his knowledge to make the best decisions for the people.
God gave Israel peace and safety during Solomon’s lifetime.
God also provided for the people. Everyone had their own house and garden for food.
Solomon loved God and followed Him most of his life. He even built the temple where people could worship God. But he was not perfect. Even though he was wise, he was also sinful. Sin is anything we say, think, or do that goes against God.
Solomon made some bad choices, including marrying lots of women who believed in false gods and worshiped them. When he got older, his wives started to influence him, and he started to worship the false gods they worshiped.
God had warned Solomon not to turn away from him and worship other gods, but he did it anyway. Because of his sin, God divided Israel up into two parts. Israel was one nation that had 12 “tribes,” sort of like the United States is one nation but 50 states. When Solomon died and his son became king, God took most of the tribes away and made someone else their king instead. They kept the name of Israel. Solomon’s son was only allowed to be the king of one tribe, called Judah.
What’s the point of this story? What does it mean for us, in the United States, 3,000 years later?
God will help us do what is right, but He doesn’t force us to. We have to make the choice to obey Him. Even if He doesn’t answer our prayers in the way we think He should, we should never turn away from Him. We should pray to God and no one else, because He is the only true God who can help us. When we ask God for help, He will show us what is right and help us do it.
That doesn’t mean I can ask Him for a new bike and it will appear on my driveway tomorrow morning. God wants us to ask Him for things, but He doesn’t just magically give us whatever we ask for. God knows what is right and what is good, and everything He does is good. His plan for us is always the best one!
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