Psalm 73:24
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
The Counselor
When Isaiah speaks about Jesus being the Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6), it is not just empty words. He is our Counselor, so when I need advice, I pray to God to speak to me and seek His counsel, guidance, and advice. I do a lot of counseling, but my tendency is to use the Word of God, which are the true words of wisdom. I have been wrong before, and I will be wrong again. But when I see something specific being discussed, I point them to the objective truth, which is always the Word of God. There is such safety in finding the answers in God and His Word. My words will fall to the ground and will fail to solve problems most of the time, but God’s Word is like a harbor to a ship in a storm and an anchor to the soul in times of trouble (Heb. 6:19). His Word is secure and steadfast (Psalm 57:7); mine, not so much.
Knee Mail
Maybe you’ve heard this before: God answers knee-mail. He is available 24/7, so don’t ever hesitate to ask. There are times when it seems that God wakes me up in the middle of the night to pray for someone, to think of something for the Sunday message, or when there is an issue in my life and He gives me the answer. I know this must be the Spirit’s work because I’m not smart enough to come up with biblical solutions on my own. If our hearts remain steadfast in Him and His Word, we have no fear of bad news (Psalm 112:7) because we know that everything in our lives, both good and bad, will always work out for our best–that’s His promise (Rom. 8:28). This allows me to go back to sleep and find my rest in Him because that’s in Whom my hope is (Psalm 62:5).
Christ, the Word
We often get into trouble because we are not abiding in Christ and His Word. Jesus is the Word (John 1, 14). If we seek answers, why don’t we turn to the Word? I can read a Bible verse and then a few years later read it again and have an “aha!” moment. All of a sudden I see something in that verse that speaks to me that I hadn’t seen before. Jesus is our Counselor, and there is godly wisdom in His Word. I can bear no godly fruit unless I abide in His Word (John 15:4). Apart from Him, it’s impossible for me to do anything (John 15:6). If we abide in Christ and His Word, then whatever we ask, according to His will, He will do (John 15:7), which includes receiving answers when seeking His good counsel.
A Closing Prayer
Righteous God of Heaven, please forgive me for the many times when I go it alone and don’t seek out Your wisdom and advice that I can find in prayer and in Your Word. Please help me to remember that You are my Counselor and that I must be early and quick to seek out Your counsel, and in the Counselor’s precious name I pray.
Amen
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