If you had three wishes, what would you wish for? This question has fueled many a daydream for both children and adults.
Such a question is posed to King Solomon in 2 Chronicles chapter 1. But this time, Solomon is given only one wish. And it’s not a daydream. It’s a real offer from a real God.
After Solomon demonstrates tremendous loyalty and dedication to God in 2 Chronicles 1:6, God gives Solomon a blank check. Then, the space between verse 7 and verse 8 builds with uncertain anticipation as to what Solomon will choose.
Let’s be honest. When you and I are presented with the three wishes question, our inclination is to choose things that would benefit us. We might use one of the wishes to help others, but the other two are for us! This is tendency goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden.
But in 2 Chronicles chapter 1, Solomon spends his one and only wish on the good of others and the glory of God. He asks for wisdom to guide God’s people well. And because of this, God not only grants Solomon’s request for wisdom, He adds in all the personal benefits Solomon had not asked for…such as wealth and honor.
For some, this story sounds too much like a fairy tale, and so they dismiss it. But the power of the story is not in Solomon’s wish but in the condition of his heart. The wish reveals the heart, and the heart reveals the character. It’s what the Apostle Paul talks about in Philippians 2:3-5, where he says…
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
So…if you had a single wish, what would you wish for? And what would that wish say about your heart and character?
I would wish to be free from my past.
This is an understandable wish for lots of people. But for people with difficult pasts, trying to wish it away keeps you in service to it. The key is to stop running from it. Learn to face it, accept it, learn from it, grow despite it, and use it to better your present and future. It’s a process of hard work, but it makes for a happier life.