07272019 Self Counsel

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our good and faithful God! We are not always good and faithful, but God always is. We don't always see how God is good and faithful, but He always is.

Probably the times when it is hardest to see God's goodness and faithfulness are when we are going through times of intense testing. In those dark hours, it can seem like all the truth we ever knew has slipped out of our minds. We can feel paralyzed or completely incapable of encouraging ourselves. Maybe I shouldn't speak for you, but I know I can speak for myself. I have faced times when those valleys were so dark and the trials so intense that I have been at a total loss for how to go on. I have been swallowed up by confusion, helplessness, and discouragement.

What I have longed for in those times was someone to help and encourage me. I wanted someone to tell me the right truth or give me guidance. Most of the time I have found myself alone and without anyone to share those desired words with me, so I was left on my own to muddle through and try to counsel myself. I'm pretty confident that you can relate to that "alone-ness" in the midst of deep need. Perhaps geographically you are separated from those whom you trust as counselors and those who used to counsel you. Perhaps the limited maturity of those who surround you in your ministry prevents them from being able to counsel you. Perhaps the isolation of leadership makes you feel like you have nowhere to turn. You also need to counsel yourself.

Self counsel is not easy, and it becomes more difficult when the trial is more intense. I recently came across these verses spoken by one of Job's friends. "Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled" (Job 4:3-5). While Job's friends did not have God's perspective in that particular circumstance, and while they did not comfort Job in the way he desired, nevertheless they had a lot of insight and shared a lot of truth. Here Eliphaz shares the valid truth about how difficult it is for someone, when the trial is personal, to follow the counsel he has given to others.

I can relate to that. I've heard counselors ask regarding this context, "What would you tell someone else in the same situation?" And sometimes I have been so overwhelmed that my answer would be, "I don't know. I don't have any answers." It is somewhat easy to give answers to others - telling them what to think about. But when we are personally swallowed up in the pain, confusion, and despair, we find that it isn't so easy.

Can I submit to you that, easy or not, that has to be the answer. We have to tell ourselves the same truth that we would tell others. We have to focus on that same truth. That is our only hope.

So what would we tell others? We would tell them about the promises of God. We would tell them that God will never leave them nor forsake them. That His grace will be sufficient. That He will meet all their needs. That they will be able to do all things with His strength. That He will not give more than they can bear. That one day they will be united with Him in heaven and with all trials forever past. That He will freely give wisdom to those who ask.

What would we tell others? We would tell them truth about God. We would tell them that He is good. That He is faithful. That He understands their weak frame and looks on them with compassion. That He loves them. That He is in control.

What would we tell others? We would tell them truth about suffering. We would tell them that God is working all things together for good. That He is maturing them into the image of His Son. That He is working for them an eternal reward. That He is building endurance in them. That He is preparing them for more effective ministry.

What would we tell others? We would challenge them to endure. We would tell them that His goodness will again appear if they will wait for it. That the trials of this life are temporal. That God will renew their strength and enable them to mount up on wings like eagles.

Are these truths hard to tell to ourselves? Yes, they sure can be. Sometimes we try to tell ourselves those truths, and it seems like they fall on deaf ears and an unfeeling heart. What then? There is no other answer. We must continue to tell ourselves those truths anyway, as pointless as it seems, until the repetition of God's powerful Word works out its power. God's truth is the answer, and He can encourage, counsel, and help us when there is no other source.

"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in his God" (I Samuel 30:6).

We all have trials, and I pray that yours are not overwhelmingly intense. But if they are, I pray that you will unswervingly counsel yourself with God's truth and that His Word will bring the help and comfort you need. He is good and He is faithful and He will help.

Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com