Psalm 32:8–I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

We all have received counsel, even from people that love us, that made us feel like they didn’t know our true heart.  What makes counseling of any kind difficult, is that the counselor doesn’t know everything about us, our thoughts, mind state, and struggles.  They cannot have their eye upon our every move…

So what makes giving counsel effective? There must be a dialogue of one person being “completely open”, so the counselor can assess the situation, and give good advice that changes our perspective for the good.  Without openness, it is impossible for the counselor to really understand how to help us, so honest confession becomes the key.

This entire Psalm 32 is set in the context of confession and forgiveness.  That David in the beginning is expressing how when he kept his sins to himself, it was too heavy to bear, so he confessed and found forgiveness and mercy(vs 1-4).  It was his honesty to bear his soul to the Lord, that gave him the faith to continue to be honest about his sins.

David understood that God counsels from the place of knowing and seeing everything about us, and loving us anyway!  So the invitation for us to confess, allows Jesus to be the perfect counselor for our hearts and minds.  When we neglect God to be our counselor, we carry unnecessary weight in our souls.  So look to the cross of Jesus Christ, it is an invitation to be mercifully counseled in a way no else can.

In His Love, Ld