1 Kings 3:9-28 and 1 Kings 4:29-30

     King Solomon's request for an understanding heart pleased the Lord because it showed the Lord that King Solomon had both humility and selflessness. He was thinking of not his personal success but his success as a servant of God and the people who he ruled over. Most people probably would have asked for wealth or women, but King Solomon asked for an understanding heart. It's no wonder it pleased the Lord.
     The Lord granted King Solomon his wish and as we see in the latter part of chapter three he is able to utilize this gift very effectively. Being able to discern the true mother of the child was a great service of love to both the mother and the child in the situation. Had he failed the child might have gone to the wrong mother and suffered the same fate of the other mother's child. In granting King Solomon's wish the Lord granted a great blessing to that mother and child.
     1 Corinthians 12:31 tells us to "covet the best gifts" or in other words seek after the things of the Lord. This is a great way to apply what King Solomon did. Just as the Lord did for the King he will grant us the righteous desires of our hearts if we humble ourselves and seek after the best things. D&C 46:8 reminds us that we must also remember why these gifts are given by the Lord. They are not for our benefit but for the benefit of the children of God. We must seek after these gifts with a sincere intent to use them for the benefit of those around us. 1 Kings 4:1-25 and 1 Samuel chapters 11-20 show us that there are always consequences to our actions and that those consequences can be long lasting. We can seek after the things of the Lord and receive ever lasting happiness or we can seek after evil and find a long difficult road that is difficult to change direction.