Who is the wisest man you know anything about? “Solomon” is the answer, right? The young king famously asked God for wisdom, God granted his request and Solomon’s skill for governing God’s people quickly became legendary.
Then how do you account for Solomon’s family failures? Solomon had seven hundred wives and hundreds of concubines! I mean, how wise was that! Was Solomon really the wisest man ever?
That question is too broad to retrieve a helpful answer. Let’s be more specific. Was Solomon the wisest king ever? Doubtless. Was Solomon the wisest husband ever? Definitely not. What happened? Solomon didn’t just ask God for wisdom; he asked God specifically for wisdom to be king.
II Kings 3 records that a young Solomon was keenly aware of how little his knowledge to govern was compared to the greatness of the people he was to govern. “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” Solomon knew he needed wisdom to be king.
God gave Solomon the kind of wisdom for which he had asked. So, there is no reason to suppose that God would not have provided the wisdom Solomon needed for his marriage had he identified the need and asked for that kind of wisdom. You may have God’s wisdom for your home! How?
•Recognize your need. Why is it that our work makes us feel inadequate and motivates us to improve, but we feel as if we can succeed at home without the help of Heaven?
•Reorder your priorities. You will not be all God intends you to be if you govern others well but fail to govern yourself in the basic responsibilities of life. Your home is part of the platform you will need in order to have the most effective ministry with others. (I Timothy 3:4-5)
•Remember that your wisdom is no better than your actions. God gave Solomon wise words for the home in the book of Proverbs. But ultimately, wise is as wise does. “Smart” refers to your capacity to know; “wisdom” refers to your capacity to act on what you know.
Nothing makes me feel more needy than my responsibilities at home. Nothing will extend your influence or expand your ministry more than building a home where God is in control. And nothing should keep us from seeking God’s help for our homes today!