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It is difficult for us to recognize that we just do not know.
I’m not talking about not knowing some kind of information.
I’m referring to not knowing what we should do or where we should go.
Rather than saying “I don’t know,” we want to say “I know”. We want to feel like we’ve got all the answers.
We want to seem like we are all put together and sure of what we are doing and where we are going.
If we do say that we don’t know, it is usually to avoid talking about the issue altogether.
No amount of books we read, the advice we receive, or the planning we do can drive out the unease of not knowing.
It never goes away, no matter what life stage we are in.
I know that many of our students struggle with that. The same goes for our university, college graduates.
We also have those who are navigating the challenges of being first-time parents, or left with an empty nest.
There are some that are either in or preparing for their retirement.
And the last thing we want is to acknowledge that we are lost. If not to others, then at least to ourselves.
In today’s passage, we see that Solomon was in a similar situation.
He was the son of David – the greatest king of Israel. He was set to follow in his father’s footsteps after he passed.
Imagine the pressure and the anxiety. He had enormous shoes to fill.
This was what he said about himself—
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. (1 Kings 3:7)
Solomon described himself as a ‘little child’.
He wasn’t being literal. He was young at the time. But he was not a child.
Yet he compared himself to a little child who doesn’t know what he should do or where he should go.
In a time of loneliness, confusion and vulnerability, Solomon did not hide.
Instead, he was honest and transparent before God. He simply acknowledged that he was lost, anxious and afraid.
I don’t know where to start. I don’t know who to trust.
Solomon saw that he needed wisdom.
So, this was what he asked from God—
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 3:9)
Here, ‘mind’ can also be understood as the ‘heart’. The very centre of a human being.
The word ‘understanding’ also means ‘listening’.
In that sense, Solomon wasn’t asking for stronger rational and intellectual capabilities.
He was asking for the ability to listen. To listen and seek God’s will in every situation.
Solomon sought what was spiritual.
Being wise doesn’t mean ‘knowing’ more.
In this day and age, we know more than we have ever before.
Being wise has to do with understanding that we do not know all there is to know – and that is okay.
Wendell Berry, the American writer, said—
It may be that when we no longer know what to do,
we have come to our real work
and when we no longer know which way to go,
we have begun our real journey.
We don’t need to feel ashamed that we don’t know everything. Why should we?
We are only human. We are only a little child – in need of guidance and care.
The more we try to pretend otherwise, the more we will be unable to see what we need to see and hear what we need to hear.
We will remain trapped in our small world. We will never be able to see beyond ourselves.
Our mind will be so full of our own voices that nothing else will be able to speak into it. Not even God.
The key that unlocks the world of spiritual wisdom is humility.
Being humble does not mean putting ourselves down.
Being humble means to see ourselves as we are, and to see God as who God is.
Our humility comes from recognizing that it is not we, but God who leads and guides our every step.
It wasn’t Solomon’s innate ability or experience that made him wise. It was his humility. And it pleased God to bless him.
I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you. (1 Kings 3:12)
Indeed, there was no one like Solomon before or after.
If his father was the greatest king of Israel, Solomon was known as the wisest king of Israel.
He entrusted every situation in God’s hands. God gave him the wisdom he needed.
People saw something unique and authentic about Solomon and his leadership.
All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to execute justice. (1 Kings 3:28)
We’ve been enjoying a time of rest, play and rejuvenation this summer.
Summer is also a time of transition and preparation.
New school year is on the horizon. Even our ministers are preparing for the new season.
Everything will be back in full swing before we know it.
I pray that we take this time to be wise in our living.
To reflect on where we are at the moment.
To acknowledge our uncertainties, doubts, and worries.
And more importantly, to seek and listen to God who cares for us and knows the way we should go.
We heard it during today’s special music—
The matchless wisdom of his ways
that mark the path of righteousness
his word a lamp unto my feet,
his spirit teaching and guiding me.
How we got to be where we are and who we are today is a mystery. It is purely by God’s grace.
In many ways, we still feel like a helpless little child.
We are discerning and figuring it out as we go, with God’s help. God is opening doors and creating new paths we didn’t expect.
Be wise, my friends.
When we are wise, we experience peace and freedom. We are no longer driven by our need to be in control.
When we are peaceful and free, that is when we start taking ownership of our life.
We can envision and live into our future while leaving it all in God’s hands.
That is the journey of faith. Walking each day and every step in trust.
Embracing the unknown yet hopeful future that lies ahead.
Being able to say with confidence, “I don’t know – but that is okay.”
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