A Prayer for a Discerning Heart

My day did not start out great.  I woke up in pain, a pain that I had fought about 2 years earlier which took months to go away, never truly figuring out what caused it or what fixed it.  With the pain came a flood of emotions as a remembered back to that time 2 years ago that was filled with doctor visits and unanswered questions and a very empty feeling. 

The emotions were too much for me.  I never wanted to be there again.  The anxiety hit.  My emotions - lost!  This means I cried... a lot.

In between the tears, I sent out a text to my three closest prayer warrior friends.  At the very same time I sent my message, one was sending me her own, needing to talk to a friend about her own health concerns for the morning.  My tears tried to dry up as my heart tried to reach out to my friend in need.  The best way for me to start feeling better is to get my mind off my problems and help others.  So, I truly needed her call this morning.  The Lord knows all and has a plan.

Shortly after hanging up the phone with that friend, my praying mentor calls to check in and attempts to calm my spirit.  I am blessed with such precious, caring friends.  My nerves had calmed and my children were waking.  I called my doctor's office to see if they could see me, but was told the doctor would call me back. 

As I wait for the doctor's call, some words from my dear friend's call came back to me as she said she would be praying for wisdom for my doctor.  Wisdom. 

I sat down for my morning devotion now that my mind had slowed down enough to think clearly.  I opened my Bible to 1 Kings 3 where God appeared to Solomon in a dream and told him to ask for whatever he wanted and it would be given to him.  Solomon could have asked for anything.  ANYTHING.  Wealth.  Popularity.  Anything.  But he simply asked for a discerning heart. 

How humbling is that?  A discerning heart to help him govern the Lord's people and to distinguish between right or wrong.  How much would life be different if we asked the Lord for a discerning heart?

Solomon didn't have a selfish heart.  He desired to do the job the Lord had given him well.  So, he was simply asking for the tools to do that job well. 

If the Lord were to ask you what you desired most for your ministry He has called you into, how would you respond?  Please send more people?  Give us more money so we can do more to make a difference?  Those are the end results. 

What if the Lord wants us to focus on the personal qualities we all need in order to achieve those results HE desires. 

Thus, seeking discernment being a great place to begin.

A discerning heart is key in marriage.  If the Lord would ask us what we most desired out of our marriage, most of us would answer with results to our current situations.  A resolution to an argument.  Get out of debt. 

Solomon asked the Lord for the ability to distinguish between right and wrong so he could have wisdom while he governed over the people of Israel.  Our marriages need the same while we deal with one another.

So today, I humbly pray for wisdom.  For a discerning heart for my ministry, my health, my marriage, and as a parent. 

As I pray today I will think on the following questions:

1. If I could improve any two areas of my marriage, or ministry, what would they be?
2. In what ways do I need to change to help bring about those improvements?