Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Psalm 105:3
I ran into a friend at the grocery store the other day and stopped to chat with her. She is a dear friend who is easy to confide in. I trust her not to take what I tell her and spread it around. This is a good character trait in a true friend. She is also one of those dear Christian friends who will tell me if I am in the wrong from a Biblical perspective.
In the aisle of the grocery store I told her about a recent difficult situation that I had been a part of. I’d like to think that I gave her just the facts without a lot of complaining or commentary but I’m not sure that I carried that off well this time.
I left the store after paying for my groceries and got into my car. My radio was on a Christian station and a teacher quoted Proverbs 10:19 “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. ”
He went on to talk about how everyone doesn’t need to hear all about every thing that we experience or think. I agree. Too many words do get us into trouble.
I sent my friend a quick note when I got home (knowing she was at work) telling her what had happened and kind of – sort of apologized if I had said too much.
We talked about it a couple of days later and she really didn’t think that I had said too much. Remember this is a friend I believe would have told me if I had. As I thought about that I realized that I still needed to take a warning from the Bible teacher. He was right. Perhaps with this friend I was safe. I could get a biblical perspective and a second opinion, what I believe was “wise counsel” from her. I am trying to take the warning that the next time I’m tempted to talk about this incident I need to stop and think about whether or not the person needs to hear about it. When will I crossover the line that separates seeking wise counsel and gossip?
The wisest counsel, of course, comes from the Lord. He is there to guide us in every situation we face. I need to seek His counsel before I start to speak to others and seek their counsel. The Lord tells us to seek His face, to turn to Him. (Psalm 27:8)
My response needs to be as that of the Psalmist who said, ” With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” Psalm 119:10.
“Pray continually” is the command I am thinking of in this matter of when and who to speak to about situations that arise that I want to talk about. I pray that I will seek the counsel of the Lord, even about when to speak and who to speak to.
I am grateful for trustworthy friends and will continue to seek godly counsel concerning difficult situations. But I must learn to seek my truest Friend first. It is better to rejoice after seeking the Lord than to need to repent after speaking freely to friends!
Psalm 105:3: “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!”
What situation in your life do you need to seek the Lord’s guidance about what your next step should be?