DISCERNMENT, n. The act of discerning; also, the
power or faculty of the mind, by which it distinguishes one thing from another,
as truth from falsehood, virtue from vice; acuteness of judgment; power of
perceiving differences of things or ideas, and their relations and tendencies.
The errors of youth often proceed from the want of discernment.
Webster’s 1828
American Dictionary
One of God’s design gifts in mankind is the capacity and
means to problem solve and make decisions. We deploy this faculty in a less
than perfect, even distorted-by-sin world. Nevertheless we have the
responsibility to work through the clutter and messiness of competing desires,
worldviews, data sets; all under the lordship of Christ over the totality of
life (cf. Francis A. Schaeffer)
A consistent (and sometimes frustrating) feature of everyday
life is the matter of discernment. This may be expresses in terms such as: “What
is God’s will for my life with respect to marriage, education, vocation, business,
etc?” Some approach this question using a bull’s eye approach; that is “What is
God’s best for me in a given area?” (Is God’s will EVER second best?!)
A better and more biblical methodology is the wisdom
approach. This tactic employs a matrix of decision criteria which are
faith-applied within the realization that there is a mysterious intersection of
God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. Most importantly this approach is
bathed in prayer whereby our motivations are weighed, our affections are shaped
and our lives are opened to the greater purposes of “glorifying God and
enjoying Him forever.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q1)
To that end I offer a partial protocol for discernment in
the form of questions. Think of them as pieces of a pie; you may pick which
slice to eat first as you set out to enjoy the delicious delight:
- What is the question/problem I’m trying to resolve? How would I express it in a single sentence?
- Do I have the authority/responsibility for the final outcome? This can help me right-size my ego.
- What do I already know about the issue? What do I don’t know? This speaks to data collection and management. What does the data mean (What does it tell me about God and myself?
- Who else do I need to consult with to gain perspective, identify blind spots, to test my discernment? This would include spouse, kids, parents, friends (confidants), mentors, boss or subordinates.
- How much time is available for me as I tackle the issue? This helps set the pace and manage any anxiety in the discernment process as it brings us to prayer.
- What are the likely consequences of a given course of action? Look for 2nd and 3rd order of effects if possible being on the outlook for chains of causality.
- What else is going on in the situation? This can help us step back and see the issue or problem in its circumstantial context.
- What resources are available/necessary to help me implement my decision? People, finances, space, automation, etc. constitute the building blocks for turning decision into reality.
- What does God’s Word tell me about each of the above questions? This is where we discover that wisdom is seeing Life from God’s point of view.
I invite you to immerse yourself in Acts 6 to observe and learn
how the Early Church discerned the best way to meet the dire needs of those
amongst them. It is a powerful demonstration of how God responds to the faith
of the saints, thereby glorifying Himself and effecting the good of His people.
See you at the Potter’s wheel!
G.K. Sexton
“O LORD, you
are my God; I will exalt you; I
will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of
old, faithful and sure.” Isaiah 25:1
