How To Approach the Counselor: Wonderful Counselor, Part 3

If you ask any counselor what one of the biggest frustrations about their job is, at the top of the list would be that their patients don’t do what they ask them to do. I know as a pastor, I have experienced this when at times I have advised people to do certain things. Yet, for whatever reason, they choose not to heed my advice. How many of us approach Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, the same way. We cry out and ask for help. We beg for resolution and relief. We say we’re desperate, yet we fail to respond when directed. In any counseling situation, there are a few keys.

·       Be brutally honest with the Counselor. Honesty is the key to freedom. If we can’t be honest with ourselves and with our Wonderful Counselor, there is no hope of freedom. Psalms 55:22 reminds us that we are to cast all of our cares upon the Lord. Why? Because He cares. He cares about every situation. Many times in the counseling process, we are asked a question like Jesus asked the Samaritan woman in John 4. When asked about her husband, the woman responded that she didn’t have a husband. She was honest in the literal sense because she didn’t have a husband, but she wasn’t brutally honest. She knew what He was asking, but she didn’t tell the whole story. What’s amazing is that even in her lack of brutal honesty, Jesus had a way of getting to the truth. He prophetically spoke into her situation. Jesus knew that honesty and truth was key to her freedom. Where are you not being completely and brutally honest with the Wonderful Counselor?

·       Listen to the Counselor’s voice. At the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the Father spoke of the importance of listening to His Son’s voice. He said in Mark 9:7, “This is My Son . . . listen to Him.” Jesus reiterated this in John 10:27 as he likened us to sheep. He said, “My sheep listen to my voice . . . and they follow me.” If we are to be completely healed of every sickness (physical and spiritual), we must listen to the voice of Counselor. This is easy to do when we like what the Counselor asks of us. This is easy when we agree with the Counselor. But what about the times when he asks us to give up something sacred and precious to us? Then what? Do we continue to listen or do we do tune him out? Where are you refusing to listen to the voice of your Counselor?

·       Do what the Counselor tells you to do.  You’ve all heard it — obedience brings the blessing. Obedience is easy when it’s easy. The true test of obedience is when what we’re asked to do what is hard. It’s hard when we are asked to do something that is uncomfortable. It’s hard when it hurts. It’s hard when we have to sacrifice what is most precious. Ask Abraham about obedience when asked to sacrifice the promised son, Isaac, on the altar. Ask Noah about obedience when he’s told to built an ark when he’s never seen rain. Ask David about obedience when, as a teenager, he faces a giant that everyone in the land fears. Ask Peter about obedience when threatened with jail and ultimately the taking of his life. Obedience in all these cases brought great freedom and great blessing. However, in Mark 10, when a man was asked to sell everything as an act of obedience, he left sad because he wasn’t willing to do what Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, asked him to do. Where have you been disobedient to what the Counselor has asked you to do?

Jesus, Our Wonderful Counselor: Wonderful Counselor, Part 2

The words Wonderful Counselor actually originate from the Hebrew words, pele’ (peh’ leh) ya’ats (yaw-ats’).

Pele’ (peh’-leh) — beyond understanding; too wonderful for words

Ya’ats (yaw-ats’) — to advise; to consult; to guide.

As our Wonderful Counselor, Jesus leads us, guides us, advises us, and consults us in ways beyond our understanding and in ways that words can’t even express.

Our world is full of counselors. Some of them are highly trained to administer guidance. In a culture filled with various challenges, at times we seek someone who can help us navigate through the struggles of life. When seeking out the perfect counselor for our situation, we research all the possibilities in the hope that we can find just the right person who knows our pain and can understand our situation. Most counselors have not personally experienced the specific issue of every one of their patients. However, when looking for a counselor, we look for someone who can understand our pain and situation and can identify with us. Even if we don’t search out a qualified professional to help us, we search for someone in our family, our workplace, or our church family that can identify with us. We think to ourselves, if they haven’t experienced what I’ve experienced, how can they really understand.

Hebrews 4:15-16 — For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Our Wonderful Counselor is able to understand everything we have experienced and are currently experiencing. He sympathizes with our weakness. He understands fully everything through which we are walking. Moreover, He has the perfect solution to our problem. Jesus said that it’s not the healthy that need a doctor; it’s the sick that do (Luke 5:31-31). All of us have areas in our lives where we remain sick. Some of us continue to struggle with fear while others fight depression and heaviness. Some feel the weight of finances that remain out of control while others deal with the ongoing stresses of work or family. Still others fight against the burden of despair and loneliness. No matter where we are on our journey, there are areas where we need a counselor to intervene. If as you’re reading this the thought comes to your mind, “I’m not sick in an area; I don’t need a counselor,” then let me help you — perhaps pride is your struggle! All of us are in need of a counselor, and we have a WONDERFUL one.

What’s in a Name?: Wonderful Counselor, Part 1

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. — Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

One of the joys and challenges which come with the being an expectant parent is the daunting task of naming the baby. Parents painstakingly go through the process of selecting just the right name. I can remember Charlene and I going through that long process when finally we found the perfect name that we knew was “it.” You see, with both of us being teachers, there were very few names that didn’t bring back a memory of some student from the past — some of them more than a bit unpleasant! Charlene had a few more years on me so her list of possibilities was a lot shorter than mine. We finally arrived at what we thought was just the perfect name. What we didn’t know was that two women at Living Stones were due to give birth to baby girls and had selected the same name selected for their daughters! We decided three little girls the same age with the same name was a bit too much. So it was back to the proverbial drawing board! I won’t go into all the details from there, but soon after that, God gave us the name for our first daughter, Selah.

So why are parents so consumed with this process? Why all the fuss over a name? Names are important. They help to define who we are and often, who we will become. Names help to give us identity and define our purpose or calling. This is why we researched the meanings of our children’s names carefully.  While I love our daughters’ names, and love how they sound, the meaning of their names carry even greater significance.

Like an expectant parent, Isaiah prophesied a coming birth several thousand years ago. However, this wasn’t the typical expectant parents scenario. He prophesied of a child to be born nearly 800 years later. He said “For a child has been born—for us! The gift of a son—for us!” (MESSAGE). And from there instead of saying, “you’ll name him Jesus,” he said His name will mean “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” In the next few weeks we'll explore each of these name, but in the next few days, we'll learn about our WONDERFUL COUNSELOR.