Wise Counsel (2 Chronicles 22:4)

He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing.
– 2 Chronicles 22:4

Did you hear that last phrase? This is talking about King Ahaziah and how he did evil in God’s sight, according to the pattern of the House of Ahab, who was an evil king. And Ahaziah was evil because he surrounded himself with counselors who led him into evil, to his undoing. His life, his leadership… And not just his life and leadership… But the people of God under his leadership were undone and ruined because of bad, unwise, foolish, ungodly counsel.

2 Chronicles 22:4 warns us to choose our influences carefully.

This just shouts to us in a fresh way today, in each of our lives. Surround yourselves with good counselors, with wise counselors, with godly counselors, people who will speak truth into your life, who know God’s Word and are walking in step with God’s Spirit. We need wise counselors; every one of us needs wise counselors around us.

So who are the counselors around you? Who are the people who are speaking into your life? And even as I say that, here’s what’s coming to my mind. The hours of counsel… And we might not look at it as counsel. But the hours of counsel so many of us get from scrolling through phones all day long. Messages that we’re looking at and listening to, that are filling our minds and conforming our minds to the pattern of this world. We need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, Romans 12. Which means we need God’s Word filling our minds and people who know God’s Word and who can help us apply God’s Word in our lives, wisely speaking into our lives. We need to fill our minds with messages like that.

2 Chronicles 22:4 teaches us to seek wisdom from godly voices.

And so I just want to encourage you, watch out for what you’re filling your mind with. Because what you fill your mind with will lead to your undoing if it’s unwise, if it’s not from the Lord, if it’s not in accord with his Word.

So God, we pray for wise counselors in our lives. We pray that you would surround each of us, help us to seek out wise counsel, to find and humbly receive wise counsel.

And God, we pray that you help us to give wise counsel. Help us to be instruments in your hand, applying your Word in helpful ways to people around us. God, we pray that you would guard each of us from our undoing and the effects of foolish counsel in our lives, and on others that we influence. God, please guard us from this through wise counselors, and help us to be that for other brothers and sisters in Christ, and for other people, friends at school, coworkers, neighbors. Help us to give good counsel that springs from your Word, not from this world.

Prayer for the Khorasani Turk People

And God, we pray for all those who are working for the spread of the gospel in places where it hasn’t gone yet. God, we pray that you would give them wise counselors in their lives.

We pray for the Khorasani Turk people of Iran. For a million of them, that they would be reached with the good news of your love and your grace, through wise counsel among our Iranian brothers and sisters in Christ. God, to build them up with wisdom that they might reach Khorasani Turks. And raise up other workers from other places to spread the gospel to Khorasani Turks with wise counsel that comes from your Spirit and your Word.

God, we pray all this according to your Word in 2 Chronicles 22:4. We pray that you would help us to listen to wise counsel, live according to it, and to be a conduit of wise counsel in others’ lives today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.