Part of my time is spent as a counselor. In order to not burn out, I have had to learn the balance of being compassionate and helpful, yet not allowing the troubled person’s problems to become my own burden. I still am learning to put up boundaries so that my counselees do not have free reign to call on me anytime they want. Though I truly care about each person I help, I cannot continue to meet with each person for years to come. In fact, I can only focus on a few women at a time.
It is refreshing to know that our Lord does not have all the limitations of a human counselor. Once we begin a relationship with Him, His love will never quit (Romans 8:38-39). No matter how often we come to Him with our problems, He will always be available. He is never too busy for us (Isaiah 40:27-28). If you grew up with a Dad who was always busy and you rarely had his attention, most likely, you will now struggle with questioning if God is really paying attention to your cries. "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles" (Psalm 34:17).
Unlike with human counselors, we can call on our Wonderful Counselor 24/7. Our problems are never too difficult for Him. "A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all" (Psalm 34:19). He is all-knowing, sovereign, and has all wisdom. Never do our problems become too heavy for Him to carry. "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
Does this describe you: brokenhearted or crushed in spirit? Meditate on Psalm 34 and you will learn that our Wonderful Counselor desires to deliver you. But just like human counselors, if you never show up at their home or office, they can’t help you. If you never give the Lord time in prayer and seeking Him in His Word, you usually will not hear His wise, healing counsel. However, sometimes, He uses others in the body of Christ to bring His wisdom to you. Are you seeking as diligently for His wise counsel as you would for hidden treasure? Look at this Proverb and discover the attitude we are to have in coming to our Counselor for help:
“My daughter, if you accept My words and store up My commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:1-6).
By Sue Corl
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