“Therefore, give to your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people that I may discern between good and evil.” 1 Kings 3:9
In today’s world, confusion lurks at every corner— news, politics, emotions, choices, divisions, and relationships. This can leave us overwhelmed, but God says we don’t have to stay that way. A discerning heart is one that can rise above the chaos. But how can we sift through life’s confusions and uncertainties and seek a discerning heart?
First, we must realize the enemy seeks to confuse us. This is a tactic he has used since the beginning of time. God’s Word tells us that Satan is the author of confusion. It also tells us that God alone gives real peace. A discerning heart tunes out the noise of the enemy. It tunes into the voice of peace — God. We know from Romans 10:17,
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
Solomon desired to govern wisely and to distinguish between right and wrong. Our standard of right and wrong comes only from God’s Word. He has given us every direction we need and that He desires for us to live by. We do not have to create truth as we go along. God calls us to heed His Word—to pay careful attention to it. Jesus prayed in John 17, asking that we be sanctified by the truth of God’s Word. This helps us grow in His likeness.
Consider that Psalm 58:5 portrays the wicked like a cobra that “will not listen to the voice of charmers”—ears closed, unmoved no matter how skillfully the enchanter plays. If the wicked refuse to be “charmed,” then the righteous must be the opposite: ears open and hearts yielded. We are to be wholly fixed on the One who calls us, our ‘charmer’—not veering to the left or to the right—but gazing intently at Him who rightly holds our attention because of all He has done for us and because of His great love.
Solomon, the son of David and king of Israel, knew this when under God’s inspiration, he wrote the first Proverb—giving us timeless insight into wisdom.
“To know wisdom and instruction,
To understand words of insight,
To receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice and equity;
To give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
To understand a proverb and a saying,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
— Proverbs 1:2–7
I love verse seven: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” It reminds me that true wisdom begins when my heart is rightly fixed on Jesus. As I pay attention to Him, He develops within me a “hearing heart”—one that longs to obey and please Him in every part of life. He is our true “Charmer,” the One who quiets the noise, lifts us above confusion, and gently guides us through the chaos that often surrounds us. His Word is filled with biblical truth, instruction, and wisdom to guide and lead us into living a disciplined life marked by wise discretion. It is the truth that produces not a man-made wisdom, but a spiritual one.
Solomon rightly prayed in 1 Kings for a heart of hearing. Oh, may our ears tingle each time we open God’s Word, to hear and to listen and to obey. Commit today to be a woman who bends her heart to hear.
Continue exploring “A Hearing Heart” with a Deeper Dive into Scripture and reflection questions.
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