A word to the wise
Solomon said, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).
Good decisions are based on a mixture of biblical wisdom, knowledge, experience, and judgement. Often, we need to make decisions in an environment of ambiguity and uncertainty. In a crisis, we need to make those decisions quickly. Sometimes in the rush we may forget to bring these matters to our sovereign Lord and ask for His guidance in this.
Solomon had an enormous leadership challenge before him. In 2 Chronicles 1, he asks God for wisdom. In verse 10, Solomon says “Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of yours?” What a great prayer for a leader! God was pleased with his heart as he did not request possessions, wealth, honour, revenge, or health. However, because he had asked for wisdom to rule well, God also blessed him with riches and honour, peace, and a long life. Christian leadership can seem paradoxical.
Sometimes the information demands of leadership can feel overwhelming. The challenge can be to know what information to take into consideration, and when. Edward de Bono wrote “An expert is someone who has succeeded in making decisions and judgements simpler through knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore”. Solomon started his leadership journey by aligning his heart to God and that removed a lot of the unnecessary noise of leadership.
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The Christian Leadership Framework defines discernment as “making sound judgements at the right time” and considers someone is skilled in discernment if they:
Seek God’s wisdom by considering biblical insights, analysis, experience, trusted advisors, and values when making decisions
Make sound decisions, even in the absence of all the information
Seek to understand God’s perspective through prayer and reflection
Consider how God’s grace informs a decision
Read people and the situation.
If someone is not yet skilled in this area they may:
Not seek God’s insight
Not make values-based decisions
Make poor assumptions
Ignore different perspectives when making decisions
Make foolish decisions.
Conversely, being overusing this skill can also be problematic, as you may:
Overcomplicate decisions when instincts are needed
Overthink solutions
Rely too heavily on gut instincts and your own experience
Rely on your own decision-making and fail to delegate decisions.
If you want to gain discernment, then:
Pray for a discerning heart (1 Kings 3:9)
Consult wise people outside your immediate circle
Give yourself time and space to not make a decision, if you are tempted to rush
Give yourself a deadline if you are tempted to go too slowly
If you are not sure where to start, define the issue and map out the steps
Consider the risks of the decision and consider what is an appropriate level of risk to take.
Who are the wise people in your life? What makes them wise?
