Ask God for Wisdom & Discernment
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(8) <Solomon asked God,> ‘Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. (9) 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 3:8-9)
Solomon, upon ascending to the throne of Israel (and securing it through eliminating any threats), turned to God in a series of sacrifices; and Solomon asked God for discernment, which can also be translated as wisdom. Solomon asked for this in order to best govern the people of Israel. Not all things Solomon would face would have a clear, black and white delineation between right and wrong, so he understood that only God would have that ability to ‘define the line’.
We face the same dilemma today in many situations we face. A great example is the Russo-Ukrainian War; Russia is an aggressor, but Ukraine is a corrupt dictatorship (it is NOT a democracy). NATO has broken its 1992 promise not to expand eastward toward Russia. There are no clear lines of right or wrong, though, as there is in say, China versus Taiwan or Israel versus Hamas/Hezbollah. The movie ‘Ordinary Angels’ that will soon hit theatres is a lighter-hearted example; is it a movie that has some Christian qualities? The answer is ‘perhaps’, but it is not something that can be clearly deliniated, unlike ‘Passion of the Christ’. (A good movie, yes – a good Christian movie, hmmm.) We must rely on the Holy Spirit to gain a perspective of what we should do, how we should act or perceive, or what we should watch.
We also have a duty to look at all the information presented to us. Why do I provide an outline for the lesson? So one can take it home and not just take my word for what we learn in class. Am I teaching the Truth? I am confident I am, but if you have questions, you can use the outline to dig deeper, to have an understanding where I’m coming from. Someone pointed out I use Scriptures extensively in the sermons I present; I do this to ensure folks I base my comments Scripturally, that they are not my concepts but the Lord’s. I want it to be easy to discern the Truth; however, I also encourage you to dig deeper and examine for yourselves whether I am accurate, or if there is ‘more to the story’ – often there is. I can’t cover every detail in a finite setting, but you can find and examine these details in your own study.
Use the discernment and gain the wisdom we have through the Holy Spirit given to you upon Salvation. Examine what you are presented, whether in church or in the news. The line between right and wrong exists, it takes in some things the effort to find it.
