This word has been on my mind a lot. Praying for discernment in my own life, for my children, for friends… the list could go on and on.
My husband has a gift of discernment. As a pastor, it’s good he has that gift and can see things about people that I can’t. It’s made him an amazing shepherd to God’s people. And he’s been good to warn me to be careful in certain relationships. (I tend to attract people that have the propensity to suck the life out of me. Sigh.) It gives me an opportunity to pray for more discernment.
But what does the word really mean?
According to Merriam-Webster.com it is:
- 1) the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure.
- 2) an act of perceiving or discerning something
When I think of discernment, I always think of Daniel in the Bible. One of my favorite books to study. Talk about someone to emulate. He was taken from his family as most likely a teenager. And he lived the next seventy years of his life in captivity. But—and here’s the kicker—he lived his life in honor to God. He didn’t whine and complain. No. He stood firm, he obeyed God, and he was blessed with wisdom and knowledge to do the job set before him. Even though he served under pagan kings, even though there were lots of things he disagreed with…
The blessing of discernment
The Lord blessed him with discernment to do what was right. And that discernment led him to handle difficult situations in a way that would bring glory to God. In chapter one, he and his friends sought permission to not eat of the food that would defile them. In chapter two, he requested a grace period from the king so they could go to the Lord in prayer and all the wise men wouldn’t be killed. In chapter four, he pleaded with the king to do what was right. In chapter five, he didn’t mince words and spoke truth. In chapter six, he continued to pray—just as he’d always done—even though he knew the consequences.
Daniel was obedient to God first. He lived a life of honor—even in the midst of captivity and sometimes persecution.
His life is one that inspires me.
My prayer is to have more discernment—God’s discernment—in my life.
In what I am to write.
In how I am to speak.
In my actions.
I pray I wouldn’t be one that rushes to judgment (which is so easy to do). But that I would be like Daniel. Handling things with wisdom and discernment. All for the glory of God.
Meet Kimberley…
Kimberley Woodhouse is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than twenty-five books. A lover of history and research, she often gets sucked into the past and then her husband has to lure her out with chocolate and the promise of eighteen holes on the golf course. She loves music, kayaking, and her family. Passionate about in-depth Bible study, she has been a Precept Leader for many years. Married to the love of her life for three decades, she lives and writes in the Poconos where she’s traded in her hat of “craziest mom” for “coolest grandma.”
To find out more about Kim’s books, follow her on social media, and sign up for her newsletter/blog, visit her website.
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