Spiked Student Ministries

Everyone makes stupid choices—even smart people. Why? Because we’ve all had moments when we know the right thing to do, we have the right information, and we ignore it. We know we should order the fruit cup, but we order the mega-size fries. We know we should not spend all our money on that one shirt, but we do it anyway. We know we should avoid that one relationship, but we just keep coming back because it’s comfortable. So there has to be something more to it than just knowing the right thing to do. It’s not just about knowing the right choice, it’s about actually taking that first step. It’s the difference between knowing the right choice and trusting that the choice will lead you to a better path. It’s the difference between information and submission.

Today, we are going to look at a passage of Scripture written by Solomon that wrestles with this tension. When Solomon was about 17 or 18 years old, or maybe as old as 20, he became the king of the nation of Israel. His father had died and all of a sudden Solomon was in charge, not just of a family, not just of a couple of his little brothers and sisters—which would be enough responsibility to freak most people out at his age—but of an entire nation.

B. One night shortly after Solomon had been made king, God communicated to him in a dream and said: “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (1 Kings 3:5 NIV). Did you hear that? Ask for whatever you want. It’s like God just became Santa Claus and Solomon can ask for anything in the whole world and it will happen. “God, I want a PS3.” Done. “God, I want all the women to want me.” Done. “God, I want a brand new Viper with spinners.” Done. God flings the door wide open and says, “Solomon, just tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you.”

So with a world of possibilities in front of him, Solomon answers God with his request. Solomon says, “God, I am so overwhelmed with the burden of ruling this nation. I am so overwhelmed because I am so young and I’ve got this vast kingdom. I’ve got to make a lot of decisions about things that I don’t know anything about. I’ll tell you what I want: I want wisdom, and I want discernment. I want understanding. I want to be able to have good judgment. I want to be able to sit with people older than me and interact with them and make decisions that are way beyond my years.”

Wow. I bet that was exactly what you were thinking you would ask God if He were to present you with such an offer. I mean, you’ve asked for some help passing a test before, so there’s no denying that wisdom and judgment can come in handy. But for Solomon, wisdom was the greatest desire of his heart. It was the one thing he knew he needed. And the Bible tells us that God was pleased with Solomon’s request. Listen to God’s response:

“So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life’” (1 Kings 3:11-14 NIV).

He was the one person in the world who could have said that and then made decisions based on his own discernment and judgment. But in Proverbs, Solomon talks to his sons, giving them instructions and telling them all his secrets. He wants to tell them how they can know which path to take when they come to a crossroads. He wants to give them the key to successful decision making, and here it is: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NIV).

Trust in the LORD with all your heart. That is, trust in the Lord in every arena of life, in every possible path. Trust—lean hard into—not information, not insight, not even facts and information about God, but lean hard into God Himself because the answer to life is not information and insight. It is in the person of God who has invited and commanded us to lean hard into Him.

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and shun evil” (Proverbs 3:7 NIV).

The story of Solomon reminds us that it’s not enough to be smart or to have lots of information. We need God. I need God and you need God. You need an attitude of dependence. You need to acknowledge Him in every single one of your ways. Then, when you do, God says, “I will make the path clear.”

C. So here’s my question: Has there ever been a time in your life when you acknowledged God in all of your ways? If you’re a Christian, you’ve acknowledged God when it comes to your salvation. And that’s good. But how much control do you really have over what happens to you when you die? That would be zero. There is nothing you can do about it. So essentially, you have taken an area where you have no control and said, “God, I want to trust You for my salvation.” And God’s happy for you. But I also think He’s got to be up there thinking, “And your other options would be what?” And you’re thinking, “Well, there aren’t any. So I just want to give You control of my eternity.” We do that all the time. That’s not the kind of surrender we have been talking about today.

The kind of surrender we have been talking about means turning to God and leaning into Him in the areas where you do have control and expertise. This is about leaning into God in the areas where you feel pretty smart and where you have experience and where you’re something of an authority. It means acknowledging God in all the areas of your life because you realize that when you begin to trust in your own judgment, when you refuse to acknowledge God, eventually your pride will override even the wisdom and experience God has given you.

D. Have you ever surrendered to God the things that you think you control? This is where Christianity gets real and practical. This is where there is a different kind of tension. This is when you go to bed at night saying, “I can’t believe I did that, but God, that’s what You asked me to do.” This is when you begin to live like you are in a free fall, totally out of control, and God says, “I love that because you are going to experience Me in a way that you’ve never experienced Me before. Now, you are leaning totally on Me, and where I go, you go. And that’s where I want you to live your life.”

Have you ever acknowledged Him with your future? Have you ever prayed something like, “Hey, God, here is what I want to do, but more than my will, I really want You”? If you don’t acknowledge God with your future, eventually, by leaning on your own understanding, you may unknowingly or even knowingly choose a path that takes you where you don’t want to go. If you do, your heavenly Father won’t be angry and hunt you down to punish you. He’s a heavenly Father and He loves you. He will be brokenhearted, and He will meet you there on that day when you have three options and they are all bad. He’ll be there for you, but He sure wants you to avoid that day by making the decision now to simply acknowledge Him in all your ways—both where you know a lot and where you know nothing. Where your friends and parents and teachers think you’re wise, and also where you know that you are absolutely a fool.