By: Rev. Ransom Kent, pastor of Grace ARP Church in Columbia, SC
Life is riddled with moments of heavy emotional experiences. Sometimes they last for a short time. Unfortunately, at other times, they seem to go on indefinitely. Whether it is a loss or a tragedy, a confusing situation, or things just aren’t working out the way you expected, the reason for the heaviness doesn’t always matter. What hurts is the weight we feel on our shoulders and that we observe in those around us.
This morning I was reading in 1 Kings 4. This passage is gushing over all that King Solomon had. Here is a small excerpt.
“And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt…And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.” (1 Kings 4:29-30;34)
Solomon had riches, strong leaders, a great nation to rule over, he was privileged to build God’s temple. He was the rightful heir to the throne of David, the greatest king ever to rule God’s people. But do you know in the end what all that was worth? Absolutely nothing. Nothing. In the end, wisdom, riches, wealth, and high authoritative standing were worth nothing. Solomon made all the things he had and the things he did worthless because he loved women more than God. In 1 Kings 11, we learn that he abandoned the worship of the LORD to please his many wives.
What do these two things have to do with one another? The connecting point is humility. Whether life is hard or the best you could imagine it (as we see it was with Solomon), only one thing can truly save us…God. The call of 1 Kings 4-11 is to remind us how essential and important it is to cling closely to our Lord and to accept the reality that our only hope in good and in bad times is Him and his sovereign presence in our lives.
Whether you are personally in a hard time, feeling emotionally compromised or a good time, a time of plenty, I encourage you as your pastor to, all the more, cling to Christ. In humility, in every situation, acknowledge what you cannot do and pray to Him as if it all depends on him.
Because it does.