“Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people.” (2 Chron. 1:10)
Expanded Passage: 2 Chronicles 1:7-12
Billy Batson is just a kid. How could he save civilization from the forces of evil? But Billy learns that all he has to do is call out the magic word “Shazam!” Instantly, he transforms into a superhero who can handle any problem. “Shazam” is an acronym for the names of various mythological gods and heroes—H for Hercules, Z for Zeus, etc.—except for the S. That letter stands for a biblical character, Solomon, whose fabled wisdom Billy can access when he’s in superhero form.
Solomon started out feeling as inadequate as Billy. (In 1 Kings 3:7, he even admitted to God, “I am only a little child.”) He’d inherited a sizeable realm from his dad, the legendary King David, but those shoes seemed too big to fill, the job too big to shoulder. How could he govern so many people? His help came not from any magic spell but from God, who granted him wisdom to rule well.
That same gift is available today: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5). On our own, we may be inadequate to deal with life’s demands. But we can call on a name greater than any false god, phony magician, or fantasy hero. Call on Solomon’s God. He’s waiting to answer.
Request God’s wisdom to meet your current challenges.
Jerome Van Kuiken is a professor of Christian thought at Oklahoma Wesleyan University and the author of The Judas We Never Knew (Seedbed, 2023).
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
