Where to get advice? ...

Friday, June 27, 2014. Sometimes I have times where I am searchig for advice. I have to sort some things. I have to solve a problem. I am under pressure, and things are not yet very clear to me. Where do I get advice?

Friends might help …

Of course, you can talk to other people. You can ask your friends or people in your church, colleagues, neighbors etc. They might listen to you, and give you some good advice. But it can also happen that their advice does not really hit the point. To me, an important person to get advice is my wife. She has the gift to listen, and a sound internal compass to look into the world. But still, that might not be all what is needed. Some advice needs to be deeper than humans can give us!

I had this situation this morning again. And I luckily ended up with reading a part of the Old Testment, the proverbs. Again, I realized how important this book is: the bible - the biblical books, all the different parts of it which have been written over many centuries, and are as fresh and vital as a new morning:

20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. 21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. 22 What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar. 23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. (Proverbs 19, 20-23)

God's insight …

When we search his advice, we will find wisdom. When we search him, we will find peace and rest. When we follow him, we will discover hope. We will find possibilities where we first thought that all is lost. We will find a purpose which is beyond our small human goals. We will find insight which is beyond our worldly understanding!

And sometimes, we find these little wonders, which we did not expect. God can do wonders, and I believe that he does many of them every day. We just do not see them, because we are so occupied with either our plans or our activities or our trouble. Our mind is blind for him, for his presence, for his words into our situation, and for his wonders around us. But there is the possibility to open our eyes - with his help. We just need to turn to him, and ask him to come and act.

When we start to see his wonders - it can happen that even more things move. In the New Testament Jesus promises that with a little faith whole mountains can move, whole valleys can become flat and straight. And indeed, when you move forward in faith, when you trust him that he will find a way for you, and when you turn to him to be cleaned, you WILL experience what he promised! His word does not come back empty … (Roland Potthast) ... more texts