Walk with me... (Aug. 20, 2021)

When I watched the recent Disney remake of Aladdin with Will Smith as the genie Ababwa, I coveted Aladdin’s opportunity to be granted any three wishes. Today, I would probably wish for my feet to be healed, my family members to stay healthy into old age, and Christ Church to create with God an eternal legacy of love and hospitality in our neighborhood.

Newly crowned King Solomon in the First Book of Kings had an Aladdin encounter, except that it was with God. God said to Solomon, “Ask what I should give you.” Can you imagine?? Maybe you can—because the truth is that God approaches us this way often. God invites us to pray without ceasing (1 Thes 5:16-18); ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7-8); and present our requests to God (Philippians 4:6). The New Testament tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17) and that God loves to give good gifts to God’s children even more than human parents want to give good gifts to their children (Matthew 7:11).

I am not here supporting the prosperity gospel that God always gives us exactly what we request and particularly blesses the faithful with material wealth. Rather, I am supporting the biblical depiction of a God who not only knows our deepest, truest desires but also created us with many of those desires. God wants us to share those with Him in an honest, loving conversation. Solomon already had the gift he most desired, though he didn’t realize it, so God gave it to him all over again.

If we hadn’t already realized from our own life experiences, Hebrews 11 reveals that God doesn’t always instantly or even slowly give even the most faithful people the things they request. What God does give us in every circumstance, is God’s own self, the bread and wine of our souls’ table. So, go ahead and tell God your heart’s desires just as you would to Ababwa. The results may or not be the same (less dancing??), but God will be with you to the end and promises to nourish you while you wait.