When life is too big

O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. — 1 Kings 3:7

As a young man, Jimmy Carter was a junior officer in the US Navy. He was deeply impacted by Admiral Hyman Rickover, the mastermind of the US nuclear submarine fleet.

Shortly after Carter’s inauguration as President, he invited Rickover to the White House for lunch, where the admiral presented Carter with a plaque that read, “O, God. Thy sea is so great, and my boat is so small.” That prayer is a useful perspective on the size and complexity of life and our inability to manage it on our own.

Solomon too knew that life could be overwhelming. When he succeeded his father, David, as king of Israel, he confessed his weakness to God, saying, “O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in” (1 Kings 3:7). As a result, he asked for the wisdom to lead in a way that would please God and help others (v. 9).

Is life feeling too big for you? There may not be easy answers to the challenges you are facing, but God promises that, if you ask for wisdom, He will grant it (James 1:5). You don’t have to face the overwhelming challenges of life alone. — Bill Crowder

Each day we learn from yesterday

Of God’s great love and care;

And every burden we must face

He’ll surely help us bear. — D. De Haan

READ: 1 Kings 3:4-14

Recognizing our own smallness can cause us to embrace God’s greatness.

The Bible in one year:

• Daniel 11-12

• Jude