What to do when you're overwhelmed

Today: 1 Kings 3-5

"How do you feel?

If we did a poll on the street and asked people to honestly answer this question, I bet the word "overwhelmed" (or some equivalent) would come up often.

People around us could be overwhelmed if they're unemployed or if their jobs are extra demanding. Perhaps they've just had a new baby. Maybe they're facing a health crisis, significant debt or divorce. This list could get REALLY long and depressing. But that's not what this post is about.

In today's passage, a young king named Solomon was feeling...well, overwhelmed. His father David died after successfully ruling a nation for over 40 years. After some serious family drama, Solomon took the throne. But he was young and inexperienced. How could he lead palace staff, an army...and the rest of the country?

Solomon generously gave God an offering. And then God talked with Solomon in a dream:

God said, "What can I give you? Ask."

Solomon said, "You were extravagantly generous in love

with David my father, and he lived faithfully in your presence,

his relationships were just and his heart right.

And you have persisted in this great and generous love by giving him—

and this very day!—

a son to sit on his throne.

"And now here I am:

God, my God, you have made me, your servant,

ruler of the kingdom in place of David my father.

I'm too young for this, a mere child!

I don't know the ropes, hardly know the 'ins' and 'outs' of this job.

And here I am,

set down in the middle of the people you've chosen,

a great people—far too many to ever count.

"Here's what I want: Give me a God-listening heart

so I can lead your people well,

discerning the difference between good and evil.

For who

on their own

is capable

of leading

your glorious people?"

A few things that stood out to me today:

• I love how the message describes Solomon's request as a plea for a "God-listening heart." In most translations, it's wisdom. But aren't they synonymous with each other? Wise people listen to God, who is wisdom itself.
  
• Listening is a common action for wise people--they listen to others and have the ability to learn from what they say (even if it's what not to do).
  
• Perhaps most of all, I love God's initial request to Solomon--ask! God loved Solomon and didn't want to leave him feeling lost or overwhelmed. He cared. He offered help. And He delivered.
  
• God's question and offer to Solomon wasn't a one time event exclusively for one person. Repeatedly, He offered a similar solution to other people in the Bible...and I think the request extends to us, too. (See Jesus' words in Matthew 7, for example.)

Don't be overwhelmed--it's okay to ask for help. We could all use a little more wisdom in our lives--and our world could also use some more people with God-listening hearts.

Tomorrow: 1 Kings 6-7