Psalm 32:8

Psalm 32:8

Thoughts from Jack Affeldt

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Swipe Immanuel
Slide

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

Psalm 32:8

BTS Immanuel
Slide

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor…” This week in our “God With Us” devotional series, we are looking at the promise of a Wonderful Counselor coming to us. We have a God who so loves us, He wants to be intimately involved in our lives.

Slide

Our verse today is a beautiful promise! “I will instruct you and tach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Do you see what God is saying to David in this Psalm? He is saying that He, the Great Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, the One who breathed out the firmament, will counsel us. He will guide and instruct us.

Slide

This Psalm starts off with David being thankful that God forgives our sin and doesn’t count it against us. God longs for us to bring our iniquities, our shortcomings, our sins to Him so that He can forgive us. Unconfessed sin can tear a soul apart, and God loves us so much, He wants us to be whole.

Slide

He also knows this is impossible when we have unconfessed sin, “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” (Psalm 32: 3-4) When David kept the sin not only unconfessed but hidden, his soul was weary from the keeping of it.

Slide

Conversely, when we acknowledge our sin to God, He is quick to forgive us. “Therefore, let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found…” (Psalm 32:6) “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.” (Psalm 32:7) I love how He becomes our hiding place (instead of us hiding from Him), when we bring our sin to Him and let Him wash us clean.

Slide

Let’s continue this thought…when we are in right standing with God, no longer hiding from Him, we receive this, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” With relationship restored, we are able to hear and receive His instruction.

Slide

Not only does He counsel us, but He keeps His eye upon us. Imagine a butler who has been serving his master for so long, just one slight glance at the saltshaker sends the butler quickly to bringing it to the master? Or when you get to know someone so intimately that just one look, one short glance, tells you all you need to know about what they are thinking or feeling? THAT is how closely our God is watching us, and when we are restored to good standing with Him, we can better hear His will.

MIR Immanuel
Slide

You see, we have a God that longs to be invited into our lives so closely that He is the first one we seek and the first one we listen to. He wants to guide and counsel us in all our ways. He wants us to share our darkest secrets with Him (He knows them anyway) so He can release us from their power over us. He knows that we have an enemy who is looking to steal, kill, and destroy, and he uses our shame against us to keep us in captivity.

Slide

When we draw near to God, let Him in, and surrender to His perfect counsel, He guides us and shows us the way. When our secrets of trauma or addiction or sexual impurity or whatever other shame is holding us captive become so great that we need outside help, I believe He wants us to seek that in His power and by His guidance.

Slide

He may call us to reach out to others for the healing He wants to give us. He loves to use us, His people, to do His work. When we are obedient and reach out, in faith, to get help, He is there to comfort us and to give us courage. I’m not sure there is anyone on earth, besides a spouse or bestie maybe, who knows us more intimately than a counselor. I’ll be honest, that thought scares the bejeebies out of me. Thinking of a single person knowing my deepest fears and darkest secrets actually makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and never move. No really – I’m not trying to be funny here.

Slide

I know this is true because I’m currently walking through the Hope to Alaska process to get counseling, and my colleague and I joke about how hard she will have to prod and nag me to make sure I complete the process and start the counseling. But I also know that is where God is calling me for my next step of healing. He is Jehovah Rapha – The Lord who heals – and He wants me to be whole so that I can do all He has purposed for me to do. As my Wonderful Counselor, He is guiding me toward counseling.

Slide

Because I trust Him and I know He is good, I will take trust His guidance and take this next step toward complete freedom and healing. And in turn, that may embolden someone else, maybe you, to be vulnerable with others and pursue freedom. If you are in need of counseling but can’t afford it, would you consider checking into Hope to Alaska? May God grant you courage to go to Hopetoalaska.com.

EIP Immanuel
Slide

Jehovah Rapha, thank You for desiring wholeness for us. Thank You that even in Your holiness, You took on flesh, came to Earth, and gave us an example to follow. Thank You for leaving Your Spirit to dwell in us to guide and instruct us. Make us brave to seek the help You desire for us. Lord we love You so – in Jesus’s name – AMEN!

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“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” 

Psalm 32:8

Behind the Scenes

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor…” This week in our “God With Us” devotional series, we are looking at the promise of a Wonderful Counselor coming to us. We have a God who so loves us, He wants to be intimately involved in our lives.  

Our verse today is a beautiful promise! “I will instruct you and tach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Do you see what  God is saying to David in this Psalm? He is saying that He, the Great Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, the One who breathed out the firmament, will counsel us. He will guide and instruct us.  

This Psalm starts off with David being thankful that God forgives our sin and doesn’t count it against us. God longs for us to bring our iniquities, our shortcomings, our sins to Him so that He can forgive us. Unconfessed sin can tear a soul apart, and God loves us so much, He wants us to be whole.  

He also knows this is impossible when we have unconfessed sin, “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” (Psalm 32: 3-4) When David kept the sin not only unconfessed but hidden, his soul was weary from the keeping of it.  

Conversely, when we acknowledge our sin to God, He is quick to forgive us. “Therefore, let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found…” (Psalm 32:6) “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.” (Psalm 32:7) I love how He becomes our hiding place (instead of us hiding from Him), when we bring our sin to Him and let Him wash us clean.  

Let’s continue this thought…when we are in right standing with God, no longer hiding from Him, we receive this, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” With relationship restored, we are able to hear and receive His instruction.  

Not only does He counsel us, but He keeps His eye upon us. Imagine a butler who has been serving his master for so long, just one slight glance at the saltshaker sends the butler quickly to bringing it to the master? Or when you get to know someone so intimately that just one look, one short glance, tells you all you need to know about what they are thinking or feeling? THAT is how closely our God is watching us, and when we are restored to good standing with Him, we can better hear His will.  

Make It Real

You see, we have a God that longs to be invited into our lives so closely that He is the first one we seek and the first one we listen to. He wants to guide and counsel us in all our ways. He wants us to share our darkest secrets with Him (He knows them anyway) so He can release us from their power over us. He knows that we have an enemy who is looking to steal, kill, and destroy, and he uses our shame against us to keep us in captivity.   

When we draw near to God, let Him in, and surrender to His perfect counsel, He guides us and shows us the way. When our secrets of trauma or addiction or sexual impurity or whatever other shame is holding us captive become so great that we need outside help, I believe He wants us to seek that in His power and by His guidance.  

He may call us to reach out to others for the healing He wants to give us. He loves to use us, His people, to do His work. When we are obedient and reach out, in faith, to get help, He is there to comfort us and to give us courage. I’m not sure there is anyone on earth, besides a spouse or bestie maybe, who knows us more intimately than a counselor. I’ll be honest, that thought scares the bejeebies out of me. Thinking of a single person knowing my deepest fears and darkest secrets actually makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and never move. No really – I’m not trying to be funny here.  

I know this is true because I’m currently walking through the Hope to Alaska process to get counseling, and my colleague and I joke about how hard she will have to prod and nag me to make sure I complete the process and start the counseling. But I also know that is where God is calling me for my next step of healing. He is Jehovah Rapha – The Lord who heals – and He wants me to be whole so that I can do all He has purposed for me to do. As my Wonderful Counselor, He is guiding me toward counseling. 

Because I trust Him and I know He is good, I will take trust His guidance and take this next step toward complete freedom and healing. And in turn, that may embolden someone else, maybe you, to be vulnerable with others and pursue freedom. If you are in need of counseling but can’t afford it, would you consider checking into Hope to Alaska? May God grant you courage to go to Hopetoalaska.com. 

Colleen McGeorge

Colleen McGeorge

ACF First Impressions and Groups Coordinator

End in Prayer

Jehovah Rapha, thank You for desiring wholeness for us. Thank You that even in Your holiness, You took on flesh, came to Earth, and gave us an example to follow. Thank You for leaving Your Spirit to dwell in us to guide and instruct us. Make us brave to seek the help You desire for us. Lord we love You so – in Jesus’s name – AMEN! 

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