1 Kings 3:7-9 “Now, 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?”

Seems to me that Solomon was a pretty wise dude. For starters, he recognized his own inability to accomplish the duties he’d been given. Not only that, but he knew where he needed to go for help. His humble request for assistance wasn’t a bigger budget or more discretionary spending. Not a larger kingdom, health or long life. He asked to have a discerning heart. The ability to tell right from wrong. Yeah. Smart dude.

When faced with situations in life when I don’t know what to do (and they happen frequently) my natural response is to try to figure it out myself. When that doesn’t work (as it pretty much never does), I ask God for a cheat sheet on what to do next. What if, as Solomon did, I pray for discernment. Before there’s a problem. If, when I’m not immediately needing the solution, I asked God for wisdom. What a radical adjustment of thinking. I face relational conflict frequently. It’s not running a country, but it is still challenging. I love the idea of making a part of my regular prayers the request for a discerning heart. Recognizing that I need God’s wisdom in my life to make right decisions, choices that line up with His will. Daily asking the Lord for His leadership and direction so that when a problem comes around, I already know God’s got my back and will be with me every step of the way.

Lord teach me to ask you for the things that actually matter in life. Not jobs or finances. Not health or success. But wisdom. Help me to daily seek to distinguish right and wrong in my life. Not based on my own feelings, but thru your direction. Give me a discerning heart.