DEVOTION – DAY 460

Psalm 32:8 “Seeking God’s Wise Counsel”

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”

This verse teaches us to look to God for our instruction. Since God is always wise and He knows everything, including the future, we can trust in His counsel. Psalm 32 was written by King David. David knew that on his own, he made mistakes. He would also fall into temptation to sin when he strayed away from God. David committed adultery and even murder when he made the mistake of giving into what he wanted, rather than to do what pleased God. David repented in the end for his sins and he suffered the consequences of his actions. David learnt the hard way that he should always be guided by God’s instruction for him, and to always seek God’s wise counsel.

We knew a man who wanted to expand his business into China. He thought there were many opportunities waiting for him in China. But this man did not seek God’s direction for him in this matter. He did not pray to God whether he should expand his business into China. Instead, he chose to travel to Sichuan province thinking he would see for himself whether there were opportunities there for him to do business. He was excited by what he saw. 

He quickly returned home to make preparation to start a business in Sichuan. But he had to find a suitable local partner in Sichuan so that he could register his business. Again, he did not pray to God to ask for guidance to find a right partner. Instead, on a later business trip to Sichuan, he became friends with a lady and they soon became partners in the new business venture. Before long, he found himself attracted to this lady partner and they started an affair. This man thought he could keep his affair secret from his wife and children. His wife and children found out about his adultery. In the end, he divorced his wife and his children wanted nothing to do with him. He had few options but to settle in Sichuan and marry his lady partner. His business in China was not as promising as he had hoped and he finds himself dependent on his new wife because he is a foreigner living in China. He is an example of someone who did not seek God’s wise counsel and thought he could depend upon himself, only to live a life of regrets.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship you because you are All-knowing, Almighty, Ever-Present Living God. There is none like you. Thank you for being our wise counsel and always keeping an eye on us. Please help us seek your wise counsel always in everything we do. We humbly ask this in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

• Why do people choose to make plans on their own without seeking God’s wise counsel? Discuss.

• Have you ever made decisions on your own without seeking God’s direction for you? What were the outcomes? Share.

• How have you benefited in the past when you sought God’s direction first for you before you made major decisions? Share.