A Hearing Heart, Listening to God

 King Solomon was humble in the beginning and wanted to please God. He asked God for wisdom so that he could rule justly.

But we need to look at the text more closely. What is the nature of this wisdom that Solomon received from God?

So give Your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge and rule this Your great people? 1 Kings 3:9 AMP

What is a hearing heart?

First of all, we need to listen to our own hearts when we have a conflict of conscience. We all have these conflicts. Sadly, Adam and Eve ignored their conscience.

But it is not enough to obey our conscience. Our conscience can be shaped by our upbringing, our culture and our religion.

Our conscience can be too liberal or too strict.

There are Christians who think sex before marriage is normal. I can't understand why they don't feel painful remorse.

On the other hand, there are women who have had a very strict religious upbringing. They have been taught to regard sexual feelings as sinful. When they are engaged and kiss their boyfriend, they feel strong remorse. Even after marriage, they do not enjoy sex.
 
If you have a listening heart, your heart will be open to God's Word. You will learn from the Bible that sex before marriage is forbidden.

You will also learn that sex with your spouse should be delightfully pleasant.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine, Song of Songs 1:2 NRSV

My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. Jn 10:27 NRSV

There are laws in the Bible that are meant to sensitise our consciences. But there are also teachings designed to free us from a guilty or legalistic conscience.

Only through divine wisdom will your conscience be cleansed and sanctified, but also freed from legalism.

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1 NRSV

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom 5:1 NRSV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Rom 8:1 NRSV

God's Wisdom in Hard Trials

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Jas 1:2–3 NIV

How can you find joy in very hard situations? When God deals with your situation, you will be happy about it. It is a challenge to be happy in advance, very hard.

Corrie Ten Boom was in Ravensbrück concentration camp with her sister Betsie because they had spared Jews in Holland.

It was terribly cold in winter and they were hungry. They were also itchy because of all the bedbugs.

They hated the bedbugs, but they wanted to obey God. They read in the Bible that they must be thankful in all circumstances.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Th 5:18 NLT

They forced themselves to thank God for the bedbugs. Then they realised that the cruel guards usually didn't bother them in the dormitory because they also hated the bedbugs.

In difficult trials, God wants to help us to gain new insights, but this is often not easy. We must often resist our tendency to fear and bitterness.

In the Middle East, many Muslims are converting to Jesus. For hardcore Muslims, this is a terrible crime that deserves the death penalty.

There were some ex-Muslims in prison because of their conversion to Jesus, where they were brutally beaten daily.

After a few months they realised that they had not forgiven their tormentors. They must simply forgive, but it was very difficult. They resolved to forgive as Jesus did on the cross.

When they then began to pray for their tormentors with new hearts, a miracle happened. They were freed from prison.

Are you being bullied in your family? Or at work, or in your church?

How can you pray? You need wisdom from God.

Is your boss cruel? Should you stay and learn patience, or look for another job?

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. Jas 1:5 NIV