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We have a Wonderful Counselor, Jesus Christ, who has invited us to come to him and find rest for our souls.
While earthly counsel and advice can be helpful at times, I believe most of us run to an earthly counselor before we really seek the help of the Wonderful Counselor. Many people spend hours each week seeking earthly counsel. But how much time are we willing to devote to seeking God’s guidance, asking our Wonderful Counselor to speak to us, through quietly sitting before him, meditating on his Word, praying, and being in an attitude that gives him an opportunity to give us inner guidance?
From time to time people will call or come to me for counsel. I’ve finally concluded that’s not my gift, but whenever I can help someone, I’m glad to do so. However, one thing I often ask before offering any counsel is “Have you sought the counsel of Jesus and the Word of God before coming to me? Have you prayed about this?”
When the response is a shocked look or a stammering excuse, I know that they’ve made the mistake I have also made, and that is seeking answers from someone else before and instead of seeking answers from the Lord. And I know that it’s not likely God’s going to give them any good counsel through me until they’ve sought him first.
Why are we so prone to seek earthly counsel instead of heavenly counsel? Well, because we can see and touch and hear an earthly person, and that feels good. And then, many times we don’t want to hear what we know we’ll hear when we go to the Lord. We look for some earthly counselor to validate our action or inactivity and make us feel better about what we know is wrong.
I remember counseling a woman once concerning a relationship with a man who was not a believer. She had come to me expecting sympathy and confirmation that this relationship was an exception to the rules, but I gave her strong biblical counsel to break the relationship before it went any further. She knew the Lord would give her that instruction; she was hoping I could interpret it otherwise and make her feel good about the wrong decision she had already made.
If you’ve been seeking earthly counsel, examine your heart and see if you’ve been doing it for the wrong reasons.