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The Complexity of God - Part 1 Wonderful Counsellor
by Amanda Gray Sliding down to what was seemingly the nadir of my life, I scrabbled for something that would anchor me. I needed a foothold, or a handle to prevent the blackness of doubt and despair from enveloping me. I cried out to God, "I can't do this. It is too much to bear!" I know a thought, a touch from him, could bring a miraculous rescue from the circumstances pulling me down. But God had other plans. The journey would not be easy, but he would provide the strength I needed. I could either trust him, or keep fighting a losing battle on my own. It was in this time that God began to teach me what he truly meant when he said: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28, NIV) Wonderful Counsellor: The seasons of life include both challenges and blessings (Ecclesiastes 3). In times of challenge often the first question we ask is "Why?" My greatest lesson in faith was when God answered that question for me with Isaiah 55:8: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." (Amp) Not being satisfied with this, I tried to work out an answer that made sense from a logical, human perspective. The best I could come up with was that I was being punished for past mistakes and poor choices. Or that my faith was not strong enough to "force" God to get me out of the situation. As I teetered on the edge of giving up, sinking beneath this added burden, God's voice was clear. "If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a 'fool' so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight." (1 Corinthians 3:18b-19a NIV) He began to take me on a journey that opened my eyes to the blessing of leaving things to him. He took me back to Isaiah 9:6: "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Amp) I began meditating on his names. First, he is a wonderful counsellor. What did that mean? I looked for other words associated with 'wonderful'. I thought of 'awesome', 'amazing', 'inspiring respect', 'inspiring joy and wonder'. For 'counsellor' I thought of 'caring', 'nurturing', 'listening', 'gently guiding', and 'advising'. A picture started to form of an amazingly gentle and loving God. A God who has a deep knowledge of my needs and who has an awe-inspiring ability to empathise, embrace, encourage and ease the burden of life from our shoulders. He is my Creator, I am his creation (Psalm 139:13-17). But despite being all-powerful, he does not control. He offers to walk beside me and hold my hand as I make choices, stumble and strive to conform to his standards. He wants me to choose to follow him, to take on his light, supporting yoke, of my own free will (Galatians 5, Matthew 11:29). He wants to provide peace and rest in all circumstances. "The Lord is my Shepherd (to feed, guide and shield me), I shall not lack. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life." (Psalm 23:1-3a, Amp) Our wonderful Counsellor is there to lead us, not because he wants to overpower us, but because he wants to take on the burdens he knows are too heavy for us. He will not eliminate trouble and temptation. Living in a fallen world, we will face these. Bearing up under such difficulties our faith is strengthened, our spiritual character developed (Romans 5:3-5). Because in the midst of it all, our Shepherd is there to care for us (Psalm 22:24; I Peter 5: 6-11). To help me more fully grasp this, God drew me to a significant set of events in the life of Elijah (as seen in I Kings, chapters 18 and 19). First, Elijah fought a great battle in which the odds were stacked against him. It was one against 450. And they were 450 murderous men, backed by a powerful and angry monarch Jezebel. The stakes were high, the situation charged with hostility. But Elijah had God on his side. So, with a prayer, he called down a great display of God's power - and escaped with his life. So wouldn't you think that Elijah would have come out of this experience brimming with confidence in God's power and protection? Wouldn't you think that his faith would now be so strong that nothing could shake him? Instead, when Jezebel took revenge for the humiliating defeat by threatening to take Elijah's life, Elijah ran (I Kings 19:1-4). He was worn out. He was afraid. He was human. Elijah left everything behind and ran into the wilderness. You can hear the strain, the pain in his voice as he "sat down under a lone broom tree and asked that he might die. He said, 'It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life.'" (1 Kings 19:4 Amp). The very words I had not long ago said to God myself. Did that make Elijah (and I) a failure, a coward, a faithless servant? Did God get frustrated, angry or immediately rebuke him with a recital of the miracles that had just occurred? Did God say, "Pull yourself together, man!"? No. Our wonderful Counsellor sent a ministering angel to meet Elijah's physical needs and validate Elijah's feelings of hopelessness. Not once, but twice. God gently nursed him back to physical, emotional and spiritual health. My spirit soared with relief as I read the Lord's gentle acknowledgement of Elijah's humanity: "The angel of the Lord came the second time and touched him and said, 'Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.'" (I Kings 19:7 Amp). What beautiful words for those who feel guilty and condemned in their weakness! What encouragement for those who feel they are alone and their burdens unshared! What an amazing display of Divine understanding of human condition! What wonderful patience and love! Only when Elijah's soul was restored did God re-commission him to return to the fray (I Kings 19:11-12). He spoke softly and gently (I Kings 19:12). He spoke encouragement and reassurance. With breathtaking love and understanding, God acknowledged and addressed Elijah's need of earthly support, appointing another man to serve beside him (I Kings 19:14-21). And our God is that same Wonderful Counsellor. So why can we trust him? Because he knows us deeply, intimately (Psalm 139: 13-16). He made us and knows better than we do ourselves what we can cope with. He promises we will never be tested beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). And "God is faithful to his word and to his compassionate nature, and he can be trusted" (1 Corinthians 10:13b Amp). In the same verse, Paul tells us that God will always provide us with a way out. Not so that we can get out of facing trials and temptations, but so that we can be "capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently." (1 Corinthians 10:13c Amp). But, best of all, God does not condemn us in our weakness. In fact, Paul tells us that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1 NIV). His great sacrifice on the cross balanced the scales of justice, and now our Counsellor metes out mercy. He knows we are weak. He acknowledges this. Rather than punish us, or condemn us, he wants to rescue, guide and support us. He wants us to rejoice with Paul, saying "I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ the Messiah may rest upon me!" (II Corinthians 12:9b). As I am given the strength to climb slowly up out of my pit of despair, I hold to God's promise in Psalm 37:23 and 24: "The steps of a (good) man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way and busies himself with his every step. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him." (Amp) My God is wise. He is trustworthy. He is merciful and gentle. He is also omnipotent and all-knowing. But over all, he is love (I John 4:16). He wants to take me in his arms, to restore and refresh, look after and lead me. All I have to do is follow, to rest in his wisdom. After all, as he says, "Behold, I am the Lord the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27 Amp). May you also find this rest. c Amanda Gray 2009 Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace -available as a free reprints. Also find Amanda's children's book about bullying at ebooks.faithwriters.com (children category: "Dave is Brave"). This is inspired by David and Goliath's story in 1Sam17. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |