IN TOUCH DEVOTIONAL 10 APRIL 2024 BY DR. CHARLES STANLEY, WEDNESDAY MESSAGE
In Touch Devotional 10 April 2024 TOPIC: Trusting Godly Counsel
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: 2 Samuel 19:1-7
Then it was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourns for Absalom.”
The victory that day was turned to mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day, “The king is grieved for his son.”
So the people went by stealth into the city that day, as people who are humiliated steal away when they flee in battle.
The king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “Today you have covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who today have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines,
by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have shown today that princes and servants are nothing to you; for I know this day that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.
“Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, surely not a man will pass the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”
TODAY’S MESSAGE
David, though deep in grief over losing his son, listened to Joab’s reprimand about putting aside his personal loss in order to lead the people well. Throughout his 40-year reign, David repeatedly heeded godly guidance. Was it easy for him to hear the rebuke? Of course not, but he was wise enough to know that on his own, he couldn’t see the situation from all angles and needed godly advice.
We, too, should seek wise counsel from trustworthy people. Sometimes we need outside wisdom because we are too close to the problem. At other points, we’re too heavily burdened with life’s hardships to be clear about the best direction to take. Then there are those days when we just don’t know what to do and need the guidance of someone who’s already walked the painful road before us.
What a gift it is to have people in our life who bravely urge us to fulfill God’s call and won’t allow us to neglect our role. What frustrating problem are you facing today? Who could help you see the situation a little more clearly? Ask God for wise friends and mentors to help you—as well as a humble heart to receive their aid.
Bible in One Year: 2 Samuel 18-19
Daily Bible Reading: It’s never easy to hear correction, but we are blessed when we listen and respond humbly.
Dr. Charles Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. Throughout his ministry, he demonstrated a keen awareness of people’s needs and provided Christ-centered biblically based principles for everyday life.