God Gives a Wise and Discerning Heart

Scripture — 1 Kings 3:7-14 (NIV)

“Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”

Devotion

In the last few Life for Leaders devotions, I have been examining the request of the young King Solomon in response to God’s invitation, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (3:5). Solomon asked for “a discerning heart.” This sort of heart is attentive, not only to one’s own thoughts and insights, but also to the voices of others. Most of all, a discerning heart listens to God. This was what Solomon wanted from the Lord.

As it turns out, Solomon’s prayer was spot on, as we might say today. The young king nailed it. We know this from the first sentence in 1 Kings following Solomon’s prayer, “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this” (3:10). Ah, such good news! Isn’t that what you’d like to know after you prayed for something you deeply desired? You’d be delighted to learn that the Lord was delighted by your prayer.

Why was God so pleased? We don’t have to guess because God answered this question when speaking with Solomon in his dream. God was delighted by Solomon’s prayer because “you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice” (3:11). Solomon did not seek his own benefit or the downfall of his enemies. Rather, he asked for that which would enable him to do his job with excellence.

I want to pause for a moment and reflect. I am asking myself and I am asking you, “How often do we pray like Solomon? How often do we ask the Lord for what we need to do our jobs well?” If you are in a position of leadership in an organization, do you regularly and intentionally ask the Lord for discernment? The story of Solomon shows us that if we pray like this, one thing will happen for sure. God will be pleased. Yes, God might also give us what we ask for. But even if not, pleasing God through our prayers is a wonderful thing and a worthy end in and of itself.

When I read Solomon’s prayer and God’s response, I am reminded of what it was like to work and lead with Howard Butt, Jr. I have mentioned him many times in Life for Leaders because his influence on me was major and such a gift from the Lord. I worked closely with Howard when I was part of Laity Lodge and the H.E. Butt Foundation in Texas. We were in dozens of meetings together, often wrestling with pressing and tricky leadership challenges. In these meetings, Howard would often pray, “Lord, give us wisdom!” When I say often, I mean OFTEN. I heard him pray that way so many times. He wouldn’t begin with something like, “We need to pray.” He’d just do it, again and again.

I do not doubt that God was pleased with those prayers. They demonstrated both Howard’s humility before God and his desire to honor God in every part of life. They modeled for all of us the kind of leadership that was like the very best of Solomon, leadership that revealed a humble, discerning, listening heart. Also, though Howard was the boss and had the singular authority to make all major decisions, I don’t remember ever hearing him pray in meetings, “Lord, give me wisdom!” It was always “us.” Howard knew that the best plans are the work of “a multitude of counselors” (Prov 15:22, KJV).

As we read on in 1 Kings 3, we learn that God was not only pleased with Solomon’s prayer. God also answered that prayer positively. Yes, the Lord would give Solomon a “wise and discerning heart” (3:12). And not just any old “wise and discerning heart,” but the wisest and most discerning heart ever. Even more, God would give Solomon both “wealth and honor” as a reward for praying in such an unselfish way.

Solomon’s story doesn’t end here. I’ll have more to say about it tomorrow. But, for now, I want to conclude by asking, once again, if you pray like Solomon. Do you ask God for a discerning heart? Do you pray regularly for wisdom? Not only will prayers like this lead to good results, but they will also give pleasure to God.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Speaking the Truth from the Heart.