Maymay sa Magbalantay

“In today’s reading, Solomon is very young. He has just become king. He feels inadequate. Overwhelmed. Afraid.

So he prays.

And God tells him something very beautiful: “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”

Imagine that. God giving you a blank check. What would you ask?

Health? Success? Long life? Security for your family? Relief from problems?

Solomon asks for none of these. He asks for an understanding heart — the wisdom to know what is right, the ability to discern good from evil, the capacity to lead God’s people well.

And God is so pleased with this request that He gives Solomon not only wisdom, but also the blessings he did not ask for.

This reading teaches us three very practical lessons.

1. The most important problem in life is not lack of resources, but lack of wisdom.

Many of our problems are not because we lack money, opportunities, or talents. They happen because we lack discernment.

We speak without thinking. We decide without praying. We react without understanding.

We ask God to change our situation, when perhaps what we really need is God to change how we see the situation.

Solomon understood this. That is why he asked not for power, but for wisdom.

2. An “understanding heart” is a gift we must constantly ask for.

Notice that Solomon did not say, “Give me intelligence.” He said, “Give me an understanding heart.”

Because wisdom is not only in the head. Wisdom is in the heart.

It is the ability to listen before judging, think before speaking, pray before deciding, understand before reacting.

This is very important in families, in communities, in leadership, in the Church.

Many conflicts happen not because people are bad, but because people do not understand one another.

What we need today is not louder voices, but wiser hearts.

3. When we seek what pleases God, God takes care of the rest.

God tells Solomon: “Because you asked for this… I will also give you what you did not ask for.”

This is a powerful spiritual principle.

When we seek first what is important to God, God takes care of what is important to us.

But when we focus only on our own concerns, we often lose both.

Solomon sought to serve God’s people well. And God rewarded him abundantly.

Every day, God is also telling us: “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”

What do we ask for in prayer?

Maybe today we should change our prayer.

Instead of saying, “Lord, remove my problems,” we say, “Lord, give me an understanding heart.”

A heart that knows how to love.

A heart that knows how to forgive.

A heart that knows how to decide wisely.

A heart that knows how to listen.

Because in the end, the greatest blessing is not having more things in life.

The greatest blessing is having the wisdom to live life well.”