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1 Samuel 14:36 "Then Saul said, 'Let us go down after the Philistines by night and despoil them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them.' And they said, 'Do whatever seems good to you.' But the priest said 'Let us draw near hither to God.'"

 

Saul and his son Jonathan had just fought a successful battle against the Philistines, and Saul desired to press his advantage. But, although his army was with him, the priest cautioned him to ask God first. When Samuel did ask God, he did not get an immediate answer, which led to a kind of discernment, and revealed a problem springing from a rash oath by Saul that had put Jonathan in danger. (1 Samuel 14:24-30, 37-45)

 

The progression that led Saul to lose his kingdom began in small ways. Here we see him needing the advice of a priest before he thinks to ask God whether he should proceed in battle (and this is after he has made a rash oath that put his son's life in danger). That oath was something God wanted Saul to think about, and know the consequences of, but Saul was too busy pressing on in battle to stop and consider anything else. Fortunately, this time at least, Saul had a priest with him who gave him good advice, and he listened to that priest. But this impetuous behavior of Saul's will continue, and he will not always have someone to check it, nor will he always be willing to listen when someone tries.

 

Saul had other faults, to be sure, but here he shows a failure to remember to discern God's will. Growth in discernment is Pope Leo's prayer intention for us this month, and I think it is a really good one. I have been much like Saul at times, forgetting to stop and ask God what He wants, especially during periods of success in my life. I have learned that success in one endeavor does not mean that I should always press on in the same way, and that reflection on my behavior and path to that success is something God calls me to, but this was a somewhat difficult lesson, and one I still sometimes forget. As I have learned about discernment, and have practiced it, I see more and more its necessity and value. God wants to guide us, and to show us where we may be going wrong, but we have to open ourselves to His guidance and not let our egos or self will get in the way.

 

Practically everything we do can benefit from discernment, even the smallest decisions. We should never take for granted that we know what God is doing, how we are to help Him, or what He wants in our lives. We should, rather, humbly ask Him, and wait for Him to tell us. He may have something to say that is very different from what we think. And if we, like Saul, don't get an immediate answer, that itself is a kind of answer. We should then discern a little more - is there something in our lives or in our behavior that is keeping us from hearing God? If not, then God may be just asking us to wait and grow in the virtue of patience.

 

God's plan is the one that will always prevail, not ours. When we put our plans aside and ask Him to guide us in His, we grow in peace and in confidence in Him, even when we don't see the answer right away, or it is not the answer we expected to hear.