Today’s Bible Reading: JOSHUA 7:1-9:27, 1 CHRONICLES 2:7
Joshua 9:14 So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. -
For some, our prayer life is a series of supplications when we suffer difficult situations. It is cries to God in crisis. When all is fine we forgo prayer. When nothing is wrong there is no need for petition. It seems prayer is only necessary in times of great decision or grievous difficulty. We see something that looks ok or feels right and we proceed without prayer. We continue without counsel. If no crisis is seen, then no counsel is needed. We conclude that because it seems right it is right. In the little matters and the minor concerns prayer is just not the priority. God’s guidance is not needed or necessary. We presume we got this.
Yet, we cannot see a situation like our sovereign sees it. We cannot see the whole picture. Our eyes are dim to what proceeded and what follows our decision. We see what lies before us. We notice what is in front of us. Our counsel is skewed by our sight. It is limited by what looks good.
The Lord sees all things. He knows all things. His counsel is clear. It is not slanted by sight. It is not bent by what is before Him. It is always true. It can be trusted.
He wants us to turn to Him in major and minor matters. There is nothing too insignificant for His input, or inconsequential for His instruction. He has wisdom for our walk. He presents the principles for our path. He declares the directives for our decisions. He cares for us. He delights to counsel us.
We need His guidance. We need His counsel. A small decision can lead to serious disaster. What seems right can stunt our growth and stall our progress. We need to always ask His advice.
The Israelites were swindled by what they saw. They were beguiled by what was before them. Their deception directed their decision. They thought they could handle this without His counsel. They felt they could decide without any discussion. Their self-reliance squelched their supplication. They trusted what they saw rather than what God would say. They didn’t ask. Their frivolous choice led to forever consequences.
We can learn from them. We can gain from their mistake. Their choice was by sight, ours must be by scripture. Their feelings effected their decision. We must choose by faith over feelings. We must seek the Lord’s counsel for the large and the little decisions. We must listen to Him in our difficult decisions as well as in our daily choices. It is His consul we must consider. It is His direction we need to decipher our decisions. We need His wisdom to guide our way. We must affirm that His guidance is good and good for us. It is of necessity that we look to Him and listen to Him. We must ask His advice and we should only act according to His advice. We should always ask.
Today consider God’s role in your recent decisions. Examine the advice, if any, that you got from Him to aid in your actions. Thank Him from the truth of this text and the reminder to always ask. Ask Him to speak into your situations whether they are little or large. Commit to get His counsel for your choices. Ask Him to aid you in never letting you act without asking His advice. Always Ask.
Comentarios