Seeking the Counsel of the Lord

UV 968/10,000 Seeking the Counsel of the Lord The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. Psalm 33 v 10 The thoughts, ideas and advice of people who do not acknowledge the wisdom of God contained in His Word are nullified. They are proven to be vain and futile, weak and without purpose or meaning in due course. He reduces the plans of such to be of no effect. Their legacy does not endure. But in contrast, the counsel of the Lord stands forever. The standards of the Lord contained in His Word does not change from generation to generation but last forever . Leadership or management that is not based on the rock solid principles of God’s Word is fast or popular but futile and will not last. Leadership or management that is based on the rock hard principles of God’s Word is destined to last forever. No wonder the long line of Pharaohs remain largely nameless and unremembered despite the elaborate rituals and massive pyramids they planned to perpetuate their lives, legacy and memories while the graveless Moses is remembered through the ages. It is the power of leadership based on the spoken and written Word of God. Absalom, the son of David consulted Ahithopel, one of the royal advisors who was known for his shrewd advice. But the Lord made the advice of Ahithopel seem foolish and since Absalom disregarded his advice, the former took his own life out of shame. He catches the crafty in their own wisdom. They fall into the very pit or trap they set for others, especially those who belong to the household of the Lord. Ahithopel failed as he thought he could join Absalom in conspiring against the aging King David who was the chosen of the Lord. Absalom himself had his head trapped in the branches of a tree. The worldly try to exalt themselves by their craftiness. Therefore, the Lord ensures that they fall and fail. But the godly humble themselves before the Lord and seek His will for their lives. They will rise not on account of their own efforts or wisdom or skills or the advice and counsel of other wise or knowledgeable human beings but as the Lord has decided to exalt them. For us to succeed, we need to consult the Lord at every step. We need to seek His wise counsel. His counsel will never fail us. He will guide us as we depend on Him for the direction we should move on as well as in the details of the execution of our plans. We may seek advice from a variety of people in our line of activity or in our network but we must not fail to recognize that if the Lord’s counsel is to move in the opposite direction, we should not hesitate but we should trust and obey. Sometimes we foolishly think as we often do about our own parents that the Lord God might be out of step with the latest developments in our profession or He may not be tech savvy or well informed about the complexities of modern management. This is a different kind of generation gap between God and man. But the thoughts of God are up to date with every generation. He knows our problems, the alternatives available and the dilemmas we face on a day to day basis. Whatever the Lord touches, whatever He is involved in will never be in vain but it will fulfil its purpose. Our plans and our lives will be brought to fruition even as the wily schemes and plans of the devious will be nullified. The Lord literally has the last word in everything. Hence, we might as well seek it in time and abide by it. Prateep V Philip