Discernment. It's one of those words we hear often in church but don't always fully understand. So, what is it exactly? In simple terms, discernment is the ability to judge well — to distinguish between truth and falsehood, right and wrong, wise and foolish choices. It's a gift that allows us to see situations with clarity and make decisions that honor God.
One of the clearest biblical examples of discernment comes from King Solomon, who is often called the wisest man who ever lived. But here’s the key: Solomon didn’t start off wise. Instead, he asked for it. So, let’s take time today to dive into his story.
𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝟭 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝟯:𝟱-𝟭𝟮)
After Solomon became king, God appeared to him in a dream and essentially gave him a blank check: "Ask for whatever you want me to give you" (1 Kings 3:5, ESV). Can you imagine that? God offering anything you want! Many of us might ask for wealth, power, or success, but Solomon’s heart was in a different place.
Solomon asked for something deeper — he asked for a discerning heart to govern God's people and to distinguish between right and wrong. Here’s how he phrased it:
"𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴?” (1 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 3:9, 𝘌𝘚𝘝)
God was so pleased with Solomon’s request that He not only granted him discernment, but He also gave him wealth, honor, and a long life — blessings Solomon hadn’t even asked for (1 Kings 3:13-14). This moment is powerful because it shows that discernment isn’t just about making smart decisions. It’s about desiring the wisdom that comes from God to lead, serve, and live well.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?
Not long after Solomon made this request, he was faced with a challenging situation that required discernment (1 Kings 3:16-28). Two women came to him with a baby, both claiming to be the child’s mother. Without witnesses or evidence, how could Solomon know the truth?
In a moment of brilliance, Solomon proposed to cut the baby in two and give each woman half. The real mother immediately cried out, willing to give up her child to save its life, revealing her true love. Through this strategy, Solomon was able to discern the truth, and his wisdom became known throughout Israel.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆?
Just like Solomon, we need discernment in our lives, whether it’s deciding how to handle a difficult situation, what career path to take, how to navigate relationships, or even the decision we'll be making in the voting booth. But here's the thing: discernment isn’t about relying on our own understanding. It’s about seeking God’s wisdom and letting the Holy Spirit guide us.
Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us:
"𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴."
Discernment involves trusting God more than we trust ourselves. It means taking the time to pray, listen, and seek guidance from God’s Word when making decisions. It’s the ability to recognize God’s voice in a world filled with distractions.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?
The good news is that, like Solomon, we can ask God for discernment. James 1:5 encourages us:
"𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮."
God desires for us to have discernment because it leads to a life that aligns with His will. We grow in discernment by spending time in Scripture, praying, and seeking counsel from mature believers. The more we tune our hearts to God, the more we’ll recognize His guidance in our everyday decisions.
Discernment is a gift — one that helps us navigate the complexities of life with God’s wisdom rather than our own. Just like Solomon, we need to ask for it, trust God’s leading, and use it to serve others well.
Let's finish today in a prayer:
"𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘠𝘰𝘶. 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯."
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