Asking God for One Thing

God is not a genie in a bottle that we rub to get three wishes. Neither is God a vending machine into which we deposit money and press buttons to get what we want. It bothers me to see people treat God this way. I suspect it bothers God as well.

But if there were one thing you could ask of God and know he would grant it, what would that one thing be? It is a question worthy of pondering at length. It is not out of line for us to ponder this because this is exactly what happened to Solomon.

Solomon

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
– 1 Kings 3:5, ESV

That’s a pretty good offer! And Solomon was quick to respond by recounting how good God had been to his father, David. He then spoke of the vast multitude of people over whom he was to reign as king, and said, in essence, “I’m not up to this task.”

“Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.
– 1 Kings 3:5, ESV

Solomon could have asked for extensive wealth, or power in battle to conquer other nations. He could have asked for sexual pleasure, or great fame. He didn’t ask for any of that or anything close to that. Enable me to serve your people.

There is another man who was given a similar opportunity to ask God for something. His response was a slight tweak of what we just saw, but it was equally selfless.

Moses

As Moses and God were conversing in “the tent of meeting,” and Moses was pleading with God regarding leading the people through the long exodus from Egypt, Moses asked God for something, just as Solomon had asked for something.

The First Request

Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.
– Exodus 33:13, ESV

Deuteronomy describes Moses as “the man of God.”¹ He was the man who had been prepared by God his entire life for this task of leading God’s people. He was the Prince of Egypt by what seemed a fluke of circumstance, but that was the very plan God had. It is to Moses, to whom God gave the Law.² It is with Moses that God met in the tent as the pillar of cloud come down and blocked the entryway so God could meet with Moses as one man meets with another.³ It is Moses who is the prophet like no other, the one with whom God met “face to face.”⁴ With every reason to boast and brag, Moses remained a man of meekness.⁵

The Second Request

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
– Exodus 33:18, ESV

Another simple and unselfish request. Solomon asked for understanding so he could govern the people of God well. God said, ” I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.” And then he said, “I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you.”⁶ Moses asked to know God’s ways and God said, “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.”⁷ Now Moses requests, “Show me your glory.”

God granted Moses’ request, sort of. He said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name, ‘Yahweh’.”⁸ God placed Moses in the cleft of a rock, covered Moses with his hand as he passed by and then allowed Moses to see the remnant glory after the passing,⁹ and all of this as a loving, protective move toward Moses, because God is so magnificent, so awe inspiring that no one can see his face and live.¹⁰

Having seen God’s glory in this way, Moses was fueled up sufficiently to lead the people of God for the next 40 years as they stumbled and roamed in an unforgiving wilderness. In this hardship, God transitioned the people from a nation of slaves to a nation positioned to take the promised land and to bring the world salvation through his son.

You & Me

What, then, of us? What are we to ask of God?

I suggest we ask the very same things. “Show me your way,” and “Show me your glory,” and I maintain that we can be, and have been, granted both of those requests already . . . in Jesus.

The Way

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
– John 14:5–6, ESV

We ask God to show us his way, and he says “Jesus is the way.” Then we ask God to show us his glory, and again, he shows us Jesus.

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
– John 17:24, ESV

Everything we need to know about God’s ways are summed up in Jesus. And the summation of God’s glory is also found in Jesus. This is why I encourage you, and all people, really, to “live in the red letters.” Immerse yourselves in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Spend as much time there with Jesus as you can.

Blessings upon you, my friends.

Victoriously in Christ!

– damon

DamonJGray.org
X — @DamonJGray
CrossMap Blogs
Medium.com
LinkedIn.com
Facebook Author Page
YouTube Channel

1. Deuteronomy 33:1
2. Exodus 20
3. Deuteronomy 33:11
4. Deuteronomy 34:10
5. Numbers 12:3
6. 1 Kings 3:12b-13
7. Exodus 33:14
8. Exodus 33:19
9. Exodus 33:22–23
10. Exodus 33:20