Have you ever had that moment where you are totally confused about whether or not something happened in real life or in a dream??? I have found myself asking Jason about something and he has NO idea what I am talking about – then I realize I dreamt it! I imagine Solomon might have woken up from this dream and wondered if it was real or not.
Our dreams can be so close to real life at times because our dreams can reveal our heart beat. I love the Matthew Henry commentary for this passage:
- “What we are most in care about, and which makes the greatest impression upon us when we are awake, commonly affects us when we are asleep; and by our dreams, sometimes, we may know what our hearts are upon and how our pulse beats.”
So what did Solomon ask for?
- “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:9 NASB)
Solomon asked for wisdom. Not just selfish wisdom, but wisdom in order to lead God’s people.
God uses dreams to reveal the heart of man. Now I’m not saying for a moment that every dream we have reveals what it true – at least I hope not because I have had some pretty crazy dreams!!!
Solomon’s dream did get me thinking though – what is my dream? If God were to appear to me and say: “Ask what you wish me to give you” what would I say? What would you say? I will be honest and say that I’m not sure wisdom would be the first thing on my list. I feel challenge after studying Solomon’s dream! I feel somewhat convicted over my selfish heart.
Wisdom is something the Lord desires us to have:
- “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6 NASB
- “For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy” Ecclesiastes 2:26 HCSB
- “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 NASB
God’s response to Solomon was this:
“So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice, I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life.” 1 Kings 3:11-13 HCSB
Not only did God give Solomon wisdom, but due to his heart, God also granted Solomon the things that he did not ask for.
- “Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” Psalm 37:4 HCSB
- “He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry for help and saves them.” Psalm 145:19 HCSB
- “Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.” 1 John 5:14-15 HCSB
These are three verses that come to mind when I consider Solomon’s dream. He was taking “delight in the LORD” by his heart’s desire being to obtain wisdom to serve God. Solomon had that reverent “fear of the LORD” that we so often talk about. Solomon was asking for something that was according to the will of the LORD as it was to do His work in the world and lead His people.
I have to consider…do my dreams line up with these three verses?
- “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33 HCSB
The verses that precede this well known verse in Matthew are those verses talking about worry, and not worrying about what you have or do not have. Seek GOD above all for you cannot serve two masters – God and money. He is aware of all that I need and I think I too often merge the lines between my needs and wants! We are to seek God with our hearts – seek Him FIRST above all else, THEN He will supply our needs. Do my dreams match up with God’s will, or my own wants?
Solomon’s heart’s desire was to serve the Lord and as such, the Lord granted him his desire for wisdom but also so much more than he could ever ask or imagine.
What is your heart’s desire? If God came to you today saying that He would grant you your dream – what would you say? My dreams are changing before me as I study His Word more and fill my heart and mind with His will for my life.
Big Daddy Weave ~ Overwhelmed
Disclaimer: Welcome to my “31 Days to Dream” and thank you for joining me on this journey. I don’t hold the road map for October–God does! He started the journey by taking me down a path of memories, some of which I had long forgotten. He showed me how He has made my childhood dreams come true in ways that I could never have imagined. He is giving me FAITH and HOPE for the road ahead. Together, we are now spending time looking at dreamers in the Bible to learn from their lives. I am excited to see where He leads my dreaming over this month of #Write31Days 🙂 You can find my other 31 Days to Dream posts here!
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expectantlylistening said:
This is a great 31 days series – you’ve pulled out lots of challenging questions and verses here. I’m glad I’ve found the series before we got any further into October! I’m off to catch up on the first 15 days!
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Sarah Travis said:
Thank you for that awesome encouragement 🙂
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karrileea said:
Great post! Hmm… I am not sure what my answer would be either! I will have to lean in to that one and pray. Of course, I’d like to say it would be for wisdom, or grace, or freedom… but given such an invitation to ask for what you want, what would my heart cry out for? I love that He asked Solomon this question, and I believe He asks us too! Visiting from our 31Dayers fb group!
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Sarah Travis said:
Thank you for visiting 🙂 I also believe God asks us that question every day and the way we live out our lives in really our answer.
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Missy said:
“… we may know what our hearts are upon…” WOW! I am going to be chewing on that little tiny piece of MH Commentary for quite a while. James 1:5 is such good food for my soul, this morning!
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Sarah Travis said:
I will be chewing on Solomon’s Dream for a while Missy – convicted much?!
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Bethany Boring said:
Love reading your posts! They bring me right back to the P31 retreat everyday!
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Sarah Travis said:
I WISH we could go back in person!!! Thank you Bethany 🙂
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Sarah@childrencount said:
Hi Sarah,
I love James 1:5. It’s one of those verses I keep coming back to.
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Sarah Travis said:
I NEED to keep coming back to it Sarah!
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