“Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” – 1 Kings 3:7-9
In her book “Invitation to Retreat”, Ruth Haley Barton writes: “The word increasing [speaking of discernment] indicates that we will never fully arrive when it comes to discernment, but we can grow more and more attuned to the presence and will of God through practice. Recognizing and responding are related but separate ideas.
To recognize is to see, to know, to cherish, and to allow the other to speak; then to respond truly and thoughtfully requires that we bring our best and most attentive selves. Of course, we will need to recognize the presence and activity of God before we can respond, but for a whole host of reasons it is possible to recognize what God is doing and yet refuse to participate.
So the idea is to recognize and respond, and if we don’t, we could be curious about why we are not responding and what’s holding us back. It is one thing to be aware that God is present with us all the time; it is quite another to recognize God’s activity in our lives and seek to join God in whatever God is up to.”
In everything we need to practice discernment and ask “Is it good?” Today in prayer, ask Christ to give you wisdom and discernment in all that you do.
“God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.” – Oswald Chambers
God’s Word: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” – James 1:5
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