if He comes in darkness a potent presence out of sight I’ll learn new ways of knowing grow sensors that can find him learn trust like a baby and find out He’s light in the dark if He comes in mystery with hints of holy secrets I can’t bear I will learn to listen study tomes of wisdom ask him for discernment and discover growing is forever if He comes in whispers in the middle of ordinariness I’ll follow every nudging by the practice of His presence find joy in obeying receive un-ordinary peace
When you see magnificent skyscapes, doesn’t it make you wonder what it means? What is beyond that face looking at me? What is ahead on this road: more beauty, or a thunderstorm?
Sometimes the pattern is highlighting the magnificence of the Creator. Sometimes it is a warning.
Discernment is having the knowledge necessary to tell the difference. When we’re talking about spiritual discernment, it has to be founded on knowing Jesus. That is a lifelong journey.
He shows himself to us when we truly seek him, and in order to follow the path he is laying out for us, we need to grow in that intimate relationship. As Peter said in the last words he wrote to those he was discipling:
Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Pet. 3:17 NIV)
“But grow”! Knowing the Lord, accepting this gracious undeserved favor of walking life in close and secure companionship with the King, that is to be our pursuit! It is essential for growing in maturity.
The verses of poetry above are culled from a long poem contemplating many of the ways that he may choose to reveal himself and his wisdom to us.[1] The focus is on learning discernment, a gifting I have truly needed to develop. This verse lays it out for us:
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Heb. 5:14 ESV)
Here is my first take-away: developing discernment takes constant practice! And secondly, it is about distinguishing right from wrong, good from evil. That is definitely essential for those of us “walking the Jesus Road,” as being a Christ-follower is called in the West African context where we worked for so long. We may come to a fork in the earthly road we see before us. Which way are we to choose? Many times the choice may be clear, such as when one turn clearly leads to the edge of a cliff and the other choice is safety. But it may not always be so obvious which is right and which is wrong. Both choices may look good from where we stand, or maybe mist is covering them and we find it hard to know what lies beyond.
How can we develop that sensitivity to the Lord’s direction that will give the answer we need? How will he come through? In some instances, his voice may be louder than we expect, impossible to ignore:
if He comes with thunder
a flash of light brighter than noon
my eyesight will be shattered
dis-illusioned by the brilliance
and within I’ll be struck
heartwise
and be healed
Will it be in mystery, or in whispers we can hear if we are paying attention? Our job is to practice his presence, heart-ears open to his promptings. Distinguishing his instructions from those that may come from other voices that want to take us on a detour or make us stumble, that is discernment. It is strengthened by knowing what he has already laid out for us in his Word. He shines light on what we need to know as we walk with him:
. . . at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (Eph. 5:8-10 ESV) ©
When we know what he has already told us, then we know what is good and what is not:
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Ps. 119:11 ESV)
Clear light on the path is found in Romans 12, a chapter that means more to me every time I return to it. The essential first step is to be completely devoted to God and his priorities. We offer our bodies, ourselves, to him as a “living sacrifice.” I understand this as similar to the way the Levites were to consecrate themselves to Yahweh for ministry (cf. Numbers 8:8-10, 20-22) as an offering. We are to be priests in the kingdom of God:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Pet. 2:9 NIV)
So, to live as children of light, consecrated as priests, we need to be able to do what God has laid out for us, not just what is viewed as good by the world we live in:
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is– his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:2 NIV)
That is discernment, this ability to “test and approve” what is good according to God’s standards. In this chapter Paul then uses sincere love as a key to evaluating what is good versus what is wrong, then living it out (vv. 9-21).
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. (Rom. 12:9 NIV)
If we are going to live this way, we need to weigh a value or action by whether or not it meets the standards of love. These standards include loving one’s neighbor and also one’s enemy, and respecting God as the one in charge (not myself!). This excellent explanation concludes with a command:
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom. 12:21 NIV)
If only I could always do that! It comes via the “renewing of my mind,” transformation in how I choose to do what is good now that I am a child of light, a priest in God’s kingdom.
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. (Eph. 5.8-10 NIV)
Here is an enlightening translation of verse 10:
10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. (Eph. 5:8 NET)
We are not perfect in weighing good versus evil from the start—it is a learning curve! What is essential is committing ourselves to the journey, to “try to learn”—to let the Spirit do his work as our counselor as he renews our minds, and as we put into practice what he says.
A good place to start is to measure a prospective act against the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5.22-23), or the list of applications of love in Romans 12. If I do this act, am I honoring someone more than myself? Am I being patient when things are hard? Am I doing what I can to live in peace with others? Am I sharing with those in need? The list covers a lot of territory!!
I join with Paul in praying the following petition for myself and for any of you who are also on the Jesus Road:
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Phil. 1:9 ESV)
[1] For more of this poem and others about growing in the practice of listening to the Lord, see my book When He Whispers: Learning to Listen on the Journey. (Westbow Press:2021), © Linnea Boese. Available on Amazon and Christianbook.com.
Linnea's Lines 
Beautiful poem!
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