THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE
TAKING IT IN
The truth in this week’s verse is life-changing and vital to our journey to revival. It poses a challenging question:
Do we believe that God’s Word is sufficient to meet every need of the human soul?
As a biblical counselor to women, I can answer that question with a resounding, “YES”, and testify with the Psalmist that God’s Word is my delight and my counselor. You see the two do go together!
The word “counselor” speaks to one who gives counsel, oradvice, guidance and direction. When we are being challenged by the stresses and difficulties of life, to receive good counsel is a truly a delight. The word “delight” speaks to enjoyment orpleasure.
Consider the words of Solomon in Proverbs 27:9
Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.
My greatest joy as a biblical counselor is to witness the Word of God DELIVER — as it provides answers to insurmountable problems, as it comforts, encourages and mends broken hearts, as it brings hope to those who thought they had lost all hope!
God’s Word has never failed me, even in the most desperate and complicated situations. And for the woman who is not a believer and experiences a crisis in her life, the Word is there to offer her Jesus and the priceless gift of salvation.
MAKING IT MEANINGFUL
King David was an example of someone who understood turning to God for answers. As many of the psalms reveal, we see him pray in times of depression and great emotional stress. When the problem was his own sin, he was broken, contrite and repentant.
As we mature spiritually, we recognize that only God and His Word have the answers for what plagues us — because every need of the human soul is “spiritual”. This excerpt from the Master’s Seminary speaks to “wholeness” in the Christian life:
The path to wholeness is the path of spiritual sanctification. It is foolish to exchange the Wonderful Counselor, the spring of living water, for the sensual wisdom of earth and the stagnant water of behaviorism. The Lord Jesus reacted in a perfect and holy way to every temptation, trial, and trauma in life, the most severe ones that any human life could ever suffer. It should be clear that perfect victory over all life’s troubles must be the result of being like Christ.
WORKING IT INTO MY HEART
Proverbs 24:6 teaches us that there is safety in a multitude of”counselors”. The Scriptures contain all the “counselors” we will ever need. Unlike the advice and wisdom of the world, these”counselors” never give bad advice or lead us in the wrong direction. They bring confidence as we seek to make plans and important decisions regarding our future. There is a “counselor”for every situation we find ourselves in.
It is important that we remember that one of the biblical names of Christ is Wonderful Counselor (Isa 9:6). He is the highest and ultimate One we turn to for counsel, and His Word is the well from which we draw divine wisdom. What could be more wonderful than that?
One of the most glorious aspects of Christ’s perfect sufficiency is the wonderful counsel and great wisdom He supplies in times of despair, confusion, fear, anxiety, and sorrow.
People spend large sums of money to find answers to their problems, when God has already sent His Son to answer life’s greatest problem.
Isaiah said it best —
O! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.
May we be those who believe and trust in the sufficiency of Scripture which offers us “life abundant” and may we be those women who open up the Word of God when we are asked for advice!
When we believe in the sufficiency of Scripture, our hearts will be revived and delight in the perfect wisdom of God.
Spend your time this week reading Psalm 19:7-14. Write down everything that you discover about the Word of God and the sufficiency of Scripture. As you learn to benefit from the counsel of Scripture it won’t be long before you are counseling others to do the same!
