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Am I saying that we should never seek earthly counsel or help, professional or otherwise? No, there are times we need others’ help and advice. And there are times when people have particularly difficult problems that a biblically sound counselor can be of great help.
But I do believe that most of us run to an earthly counselor before we really seek the help of the Wonderful Counselor. If a professional counselor advised us to see them three times a week for an hour each time, we’d do everything possible to keep the appointments. But how many of us would be willing to spend three hours a week seeking God’s guidance, asking our Wonderful Counselor to speak to us, quietly sitting before him, meditating on his Word and being in an attitude that gives him an opportunity to give us inner guidance?
Earthly counselors may be helpful—again, if they are biblically sound—to help you see some things about yourself that you need to see. But they can never heal you. Only the Wonderful Counselor has medicine that can heal the wounds and stop the bleeding. It’s called the Balm of Gilead, and he can apply it to our hurts and give us peace. No one else is qualified for that kind of treatment.
I challenge you, as I continually challenge myself, to determine that by God’s grace, you’ll learn to go to your Wonderful Counselor. You’ll make a commitment that before you ever run to someone else, you’ll run to Jesus. And whatever time you spend with earthly counselors, you’ll spend more time with Jesus, talking about the problem, giving him a chance to talk to you.
Turn off the screens, tune out the noise, get up early enough that you miss the household hustle-bustle, if necessary. But spend quiet time with your Wonderful Counselor. Make appointments with him, just as you would an earthly counselor and keep those appointments. I promise you, you will find rest for your soul, answers to your questions, and guidance for your future. Jesus promised it, and he cannot lie.