The Extreme Desires of Our Heart

What would you ask for?

It's the age old question... 'If you were given one wish, what would you wish for?' I'm not sure why that question always made me feel insecure. I guess I often hesitated giving my answer because I knew someone would say something more clever like, 'I'd have wished for more wishes.' But would they really?

Because in the heat of the moment, if it were God showing up on the scene asking, like He did to Solomon, 'Ask for whatever you want me to give you​,' I'm just not so sure, any of us would be feeling very clever. (1 Kings 3:5)

So Solomon asked for wisdom.

Now we say that, but in actuality, if you read 1 Kings 3, you'll see that Solomon was humble in his place as the new king and was asking for help. His request was for a discerning heart to distinguish between right and wrong. I get the idea that he was a dude in over his head and somewhat afraid of the power given to him.

So maybe it's the timing of the question that matters most.

Because there's another king who makes a request like this of God. Now I don't know if God approaced him the same as Solomon. But this king makes a migthy bold request.

Two things I ask of you, Lord

Two things I ask of you, Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
Proverbs 30:7-9 NIV

This is a prayer to emulate.

How lovely our world would be without deception... all emptiness and deceit gone. We could be rid of fear and doubt. We could let go of shame and guilt. And we could walk in freedom, knowing that nothing and no one... including ourselves was intent on harming us.

Then to have our daily bread... just as Jesus included in the prayer He taught His disciples. Not too much to swing the pendulum to pride, denying Him. Not too little to swing it back to poverty, causing dishonor to His name.

It makes me wonder what was going on in this king's life to pray such a request to God. Because the timing of the question matters most, pointing us to the motive... to the circumstances he was facing. Was he surrounded by deceit and doubt... fear and deception?

What would cause him to cry out with such a raw and sincere heart?

Am I willing to be so bold?
Do my circumstances point to prayer like that?
Let us turn our hearts to the Lord.

Let us make a petition for
the extreme desires of our heart.