There are so many voices trying to get our attention; so many people trying to tell us what to think and what to do. There are so many sources of information available to us. And there are so many choices that we have to make. It is virtually impossible to live a simple life these days and ignore all of the noise. And because so many things affect us, we probably shouldn’t ignore the noise. So we try to make sense of things. We try to filter out the bad stuff and focus on what is useful. But how do we do that? How can we judge what is good and what is not in this vast sea of information and perspectives and opinions? How can we identify who has our best interests in mind and who is trying to manipulate us for their own interests? When every voice we hear seems to be saying both good and bad, who do we listen to? A deeper question is, what IS good? How do we know it’s good?
To make it make sense what we need is discernment. Discernment can be described as insight into the true nature of things; it is seeing beyond the surface. And how do we get discernment? It comes from God. Specifically, Proverbs chapter 2 verses 3 through 9 can be summarized like this:
- If you cry for discernment and lift your voice for understanding;
- Then you will discern the fear of the Lord;
- For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
- Then you will discern righteousness, and justice, and equity, and every good course.
My Prayer:
Dear God, Creator and Sustainer of all there is; we honor and worship you. For You made us to inhabit the earth at this time in history. You have carefully placed us where we are right now, and given us all that we have. Your knowledge and understanding is far beyond our comprehension. And yet You have blessed us with minds to think and freedom to choose. You have given us the capacity to act in our best interest, and the mandate to act in the best interest of others. You have commanded us to love You with all of our being, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. But we admit that this world is so complicated and there is so much evil around us that we are powerless to fulfill Your purpose without Your divine help. So we pray now for discernment. Help us to discern good from evil. Help us to discern the difference between what is best and what is attractive. Help us, dear Lord, to discern the guidance of your Spirit and distinguish it from our own selfish motives. And most of all, help us to discern your presence. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
The ELL Word 