Dilemmas

Sometimes in life we are faced with dilemmas. A dilemma is “a problem involving a difficult choice” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Sometimes it may seem impossible to make a decision because the possible outcomes seem to be negative, regardless of the choice. But God’s wisdom is above all of our dilemmas. I Kings 3: 16-28 tells the story of how King Solomon was faced with a major dilemma. Two women came before him arguing about a baby. Both women had their own baby but one of the babies died. The mother of the deceased baby switched babies in the night, so she could have the live baby. The mother of the live baby went to King Solomon to get her baby back and had a hard time proving that the baby belonged to her. 

King Solomon said the unthinkable. I Kings 3: 24-25 says, “Then the king said, ‘Bring me a sword.’ So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, ‘Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other’.” Immediately the mother of the living child cried out to the King to give her baby to the woman who stole him so he would not be killed. But the woman who stole the baby told the king to divide the baby and let neither of them have him. It was evident to King Solomon who was the real mother and he gave the baby back to the rightful mother. 

King Solomon’s tactic seems counter intuitive but it was actually the wisdom of God to test the hearts of those women. God gave King Solomon a unique divine strategy in that moment to solve the dilemma. When we are faced with seemingly impossible situations, our best option is to seek the wisdom of God first. Not every situation is the same. God will give us a diving strategy and specific solutions for our problems.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to seek You first in every dilemma. Holy Spirit, fill me with wisdom from heaven, so that I make decisions according to the will of God.