For who among them has stood in the counsel of the Lord to see and to hear his word and listened? Jeremiah 23:18 This scripture referred to the prophets who spoke falsely to the people of Israel. They were saying thus saith the Lord when the Lord did not say it. They walked in the counsel of each other and spoke out of their hearts instead of what God said. So God said through Jeremiah, has any of them stood in my counsel to hear what I had to say? I believe God asks the same question of us today.
Have you asked God about it?
Are we standing in his counsel in ALL areas of our lives or only some? We have gotten into a habit of asking for things God already promised us. I believe we must change this to asking God, how do I get the results I’m supposed to be receiving?
We know God said he will supply all our needs, so instead of continually asking him for our needs to be met, we should ask him what is needed from us to receive this. If we are not receiving what he says is ours, then something is off, and it isn’t God.
When we seek his counsel, he will reveal to us what is standing in our way or how we should be praying. God wants us to have the things he bought for us. He wants us to walk in healing, authority, prosperity, and grace. God doesn’t want us sick, powerless, poor, or condemned.
If we do not have these things, it is no fault of his. He bought it, and now we are in charge of utilizing, commanding, and receiving it.
We Do As We See Fit
We limit God when we do not seek his counsel. When we have a need, we figure out how to fulfill it and then ask him to bless it.
For example: when we need a car, we get a loan, but did we ask God if that is how he wanted us to get a new car? We see physical reality, and in the physical, we see no other way to buy that car except through financing.
But what if God put it in someone’s heart to give you a car? Or had a car prepared for you that you could afford with no financing. We get in a hurry, and see things as just the way they are done, and we don’t stop to ask God about it.
We may ask him to guide us to the right car at the lot or give us a good deal, but are we asking him if that is the way he wants the problem solved?
Why Aren’t We Asking God about our Problems?
Likewise, we start to have pain or an abnormality in our bodies, and we go straight to the doctor instead of asking God about it. We could be saving so much money if we asked God what we could do for our health.
God is smarter than any doctor; he knows what your body is lacking, and he knows the cure. He might guide you to go to the doctor, but the point is we act without asking God if that is the answer.
We have begun to trust in the counsel of men and the ways of the world over God. We put God in a box and say work within my limits when we forget that He has no limits.
But he won’t push his ways on us; therefore, we can limit him by not consulting him and doing things our own way.
Biblical Example
A great biblical example of this is in the life of King Asa. We are told in 2 Chronicles 15:17 that Asa’s heart was wholly true to God all of his days.
He commanded the people to seek the Lord and even removed his mother from being queen mother because she made an idol.
He loved God, yet he made a costly mistake by not seeking God’s advice when the King of Israel came against him.
2 Chronicles 16:2-3: Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, “There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.
Asa placed his trust in man and did not seek God for advice. Even though he got good results, his decision was costly. God asked him why he chose to trust in the Syrians instead of seeking his help.
Asa became angry and refused to repent, and because of this, he became diseased in his feet. Later in the chapter, it states, In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord but sought help from physicians.
Quiet Yourself
We must learn to seek the counsel of the Lord in all areas of our lives if we want to see good results. We also must learn to listen. Learning to listen means quieting ourselves long enough to hear.
Turn off the tv, put your phone on silence, and spend time in the word and prayer. Another way God speaks to us is through sermons, so instead of watching meaningless television, try turning on a godly preacher. God has confirmed many things to me through sermons.
Remember we cannot ask God for his advice and expect him to yell it. He can but most likely won’t.
He wants intentional time spent with him so he can show us the way we should go. Let’s commit today to stand in the counsel of the Lord and seek his face.
Referenced Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+16&version=ESV
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