Prayers of Discernment

Today’s reading is out of Proverbs 3:5-6 and James 1:5. Begin todays’ devotion by reading these passages.

A key part of being a disciple is learning to seek, discern, and follow God’s will in all of our decisions and actions. This is a journey that takes time and lots of prayer. One of the most important types of prayer that we can pray as Christians is a prayer for discernment and wisdom from God. We see many times in the Gospels that Jesus sought God in prayer for discernment before taking His next step in ministry. For example, in Mark 3:13-14, Jesus spent time alone with God in prayer before He chose the 12 disciples to follow Him.

We also see the early Church seeking God’s wisdom throughout the book of Acts when deciding who to appoint for leadership roles in the ministry, what steps to take on the mission field, and much more. Let’s learn how to do this with some direction from the Old and New Testaments!

Proverbs 3:5-6 5 “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, 6 but in all ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight.”

Romans 10:14-15 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?15 And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Reflect

1. In James 1:5, what does it mean to you that God promises to give “generous” amounts of wisdom to you?
2. Why do we tend to “lean on our own understanding”, as Proverbs says? What makes it hard to trust God instead?
3. What would it look like to “acknowledge God” in “all ways” in your life?
4. What do you think it looks like for God to “make your paths straight”?

Act

In whatever decisions you’re currently facing–commit to seeking God’s wisdom daily in as many ways as you can think of. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Praying the above verses daily (and nightly).
• Seeking the wise counsel of trusted Christ-followers in your life (another idea
  that comes from Proverbs).
• Search Scripture for verses that might apply to your current situation.
• Spend time in prayer listening (not just talking) to God, paying attention to what thoughts come to mind and to your conscience.

Begin asking God regularly for opportunities to share your God-story with someone in your life who is ready to hear it.

Pray

Lord God, help me acknowledge you in all my ways. I need your wisdom in this situation–thank you for promising to provide generous amounts of it! I pray that you help me to see, hear, and follow your wisdom, and trust your ways more than my own,
even when they don’t make sense to me at the moment. Make my paths straight, that my life can honor you. Amen.