Tuesday, February 23, 2016

The Counseling that God Provides

One of the names of God is Wonderful Counselor. He really is and He speaks to us through many forms of communication. A walk in the woods on a snowy day cries out the beauty and majesty of God. A day at the ocean can do wonders for the soul and echoes the immense power of our Lord. A new born baby or the love of someone who really cares can warm our hearts and give us the hope of God’s love in an often dark, cruel world.
One of the main ways that God communicates to us is through His Word. Sometimes we may read a Bible passage and not feel the love and comfort that we’re supposed to receive. Reading can feel like just going through the motions. That is when I have found that praying before reading any further can really help. I ask God to open my heart to His Word, to show me what He wants me to learn and to prepare my heart to receive insight and understanding of the passage. 
Psalm 27 is an example of a great reading when feeling anxiety or fear. It is a confidence builder, written by David, who knew the real threat of war and violence. He continually turned to God, during good times and bad, and was called a man after God’s own heart. He sought the Lord when his life was in danger, when life seemed hopeless, and when he was filled with the grief of his own sin. And through his writing it can be seen that he was encouraged and uplifted by the Holy Spirit. 
The first 2 lines of this psalm are inspiring and remind us of where our strength comes from.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom should I fear?                                                                  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom should I be afraid?”
The third verse is one which can remind us that with God on our side, we can feel secure no matter what happens.
“Though an army deploys against me, my heart is not afraid;                                                                                      Though a war breaks out against me, still I am confident. “
God is not only powerful to protect us, He is also amazingly creative and artistic. He truly is the Master Artist and Designer, from Whom the world gets all the ingenuity and talent ever experienced. If we reflect, as David does in verses 4 and 5, on God’s beauty and incomprehensible love for us who are small, weak and dependent on the very air we breathe, we would be fools not to put all our hope and trust in Him.
“I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His temple.                                            For He will conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity; He will hide me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high on a rock.”
David shows us that we can ask anything of the Lord and though we may have to wait, He is faithful to work things out. He will revive us, restore us and give new hope and strength when we need it. Sometimes friends or family disappoint us, we may have people in our lives who want more from us than we are able to give, or have difficult circumstances to endure. David seems to have experienced all these things and more. And he was not ashamed or afraid to cry out to God in any adversity. In doing so, he found the assurance he needed as displayed in verse 10, 13 and 14.
“Even if my mother and father abandon me, the Lord cares for me."
“I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.”
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord.”
David trusts God and God lifts his spirits so that he can face the day and whatever is in front of him.  He did not necessarily get answers to all his questions or what he wanted when he wanted it. Yet he had the solution to His wrestless heart.  We too can have that encouragement, hope and confidence, by spending time with the Lord, believing His Word and sharing David’s heart of faith and trust in the Great God who loves us and gave his life for us so that we may live through Him.

By: Francine Costanza, LCPC