Photo and blog by Sharman Dow
“Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.” –Job 28:28
To grasp understanding is having the ability to comprehend matters wisely to make prudent and intelligent decisions. It is a thinking process when one observes and reasons to reach a conclusion. It means to ponder and learn the situation for an outcome that creates a positive benefit. It is not making decisions in haste or based on feelings.
In business, grasping understanding is having the ability to perceive things with knowledge of the facts and drawing a good conclusion that benefits you or your team. Do you look at situations and events with discernment to distinguish the best path to take or just doing the right thing? Or, are you making decisions based upon your feelings and the stress of the moment? It’s important for your career to sometimes take a step back to ponder the situation and rethink what is the best path to take or conclusion to make. By grasping understanding you create and position yourself for a better future and outcome.
We all know the story of David and Goliath, in which as a youth he took down the giant Goliath with a slingshot, but there are so many other stories about David that ring true for all of us today. What I love about David is, as the Bible states, he was a man after God’s own heart. Wow, what a comment to be made about a person! He was anointed to be king of Israel by the prophet Samuel after Saul, the current king, had disappointed God and was going to be removed from his throne. Although David was anointed to be king, there were many years before it actually happened. Apparently David had a lot of growing up to do before he became king, but he did eventually learn that understanding was a key to becoming a great leader.
As time progressed while Saul was still king, his inner turmoil toward David manifested itself in jealousy, because he knew God had chosen a different person (David) to rule Israel. There were many years when David and his band of followers had to hide in caves, running from Saul and his armies. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for David; his life was in constant danger hiding from Saul, and yet he knew someday he would become king.
However, there were two occasions during those years when David had the opportunity to kill Saul. But instead he used it to his advantage to prove to Saul he did not want to seek revenge. David’s followers urged him to kill Saul in those two incidences, and yet David stepped back each time, pondered the situation and grasped understanding to make the right decision for his future. He refused to kill God’s anointed, even though he knew he would become king at that moment if he had done so; he did not want to become king if it meant killing the current one. He chose to wait on God.
Many of David’s Psalms were written out of anguish and frustration during those years of being on the run from Saul. He knew he would become king someday, but he grasped understanding for the long term and made the right decision when he had the opportunity to make a wrong one.
Applying the character quality of understanding to your business career will support you in making better decisions. When you have a problem take a moment and step back, ponder the situation or event — even say a prayer for understanding — then make a prudent decision for the best outcome. It never hurts to ask God for supernatural influence into your situation — in fact, it pleases God when you seek His guidance.
You need to ask yourself, “Are you able to put aside the current temptation to take matters into your own hands and make a rash decision; or are you willing to wait on God to grasp understanding?” Think about your business dealings and apply this principle to your career decisions today — it will empower your life!
Sharman Dow is the founder of the Empower Women’s Conference, coming October 22nd to Orange County. Register today!
