A Heartfelt Wish

What if I found Aladdin’s magic lamp? What if I won the lottery? If you could have anything, what would you want? What would you wish for? What would be your heart’s one true wish? (and with respect to beauty pageants contestants – world peace cannot be your answer!) The top wishes most requested: Money, Wisdom, Fame.

Now some may think this is a silly exercise, after all, it is all fantasy and it could never happen. Or could it? The Bible tells the story of a man whom God granted a wish. And the story just might help us discover that one of our own heartfelt wishes can come true:

You can read the story here: I Kings 3:1-14

Solomon was granted one wish from God. Solomon desired the ability to distinguish - good from evil, right from wrong, truth from falsehood. He also wanted to be able to hear his people, to know their needs, their concerns, and their desires. Solomon desired divine help in carrying out the responsibilities of the kingship. Solomon asked for a discerning heart. In Hebrew it actually means Solomon asked for a “Hearing” heart.

While this was a wish granted by God to Solomon, it is something that you can have today. You can have that same “hearing” heart that Solomon had, but it will NOT come by Wishing. We must learn to develop it.

So what is a hearing heart? A “Hearing heart” is a heart that has ears to hear.

Jesus declared in Matthew 11:15, “He who has ears, let him hear.”

A hearing heart also allows one to hear and then obey what they hear. We must learn to develop our hearing hearts and that can happen by:

1) Being sensitive to those that around you
2) Opening yourself up to being involved with other people’s lives
3) Learning to do more listening than talking
4) Allowing God to be the center of your life

We were created with a “hearing” heart, but we have forgotten how to use it.

“The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it." John 10:3-5

There are times where we find it hard to hear God. Hebrews 3:7-8 states, “as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts’”

When we listen for God we need to (as my mother would say) remove the “wax”. Our hardened hearts often get in the way and we need to remove the things that keep us from hearing God like hate, anger, resentment, etc.

To hear God speak we must be prepared to listen for God’s voice. Solomon received the gift of his wish after a concentrated time of worship. I would encourage you to do the same. As you seek to hear God, make worship a priority in your life. Sunday morning worship is a starting place, but you can also find ways to worship throughout the week.

If you’ve tried this and still are hearing silence, you might fine tune your radio. Just as right now there are radio signals traveling through your room – it is only when I tune in to the right frequency that I hear the message. Worship seems to be able to fine tune our heart for proper reception.

Learn to listen for God . . .

Creation Speaks - Psalm 19:1-2
the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. God’s

The Bible Speaks - 2 Peter 1:20-21 above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Speaks - John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

One of the most repeated questions Jesus asked during His life on earth was “What do you want from me?” It is a question we are still faced with today, “What do you want from Him?”

Perhaps you are still waiting for the answer to to your heart's wish . . .

Perhaps God has already answered . . .

Perhaps, the real question for you today: “Are you listening with your heart?”