“Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisors, they succeed.”
– Proverbs 15:22
What a simple, significant verse in Proverbs 15:22, that we all need to remember and apply, as we make plans in our lives. It is wise for us to not do that alone. As we think about decisions we make, it is wise for us to seek counsel from others. If left to ourselves, we are prone to foolishness. Wisdom comes in a company of advisors. With many advisors they succeed. So, what that means is, as we make decisions, it is good to live in community with other people, particularly those who fear God, and as a result of fearing God, have wisdom from God. Those who are walking with God, in his word. That’s not to say we can’t get counsel from others.
As we make decisions, it is good to live in community with those who fear God and are depending on Him through His Word.
God gives grace to all kinds of people. Common grace, even to those who are not following him. And so, it’s not that we can’t listen to others who may not be in the word, who may not be worshiping God. At the same time, we know that worldly wisdom is not what we need, worldly counsel is not what we need, counsel or wisdom in line with the pattern of this world, aligned with the priorities of this world, that’s not really what we need. What we need is wisdom and counsel from God’s word, from those who are walking with God in his word, and so we lean on many advisors along these lines, trusting that God will use the counsel of others, advice from others, to form our thinking according to his word.
I think of so many times when I’ve been making decisions in my life, in my family, in work, in the church, where, as I’ve sought counsel from others, I’ve seen things that I didn’t. I’ve learned things that I needed to learn. I’ve changed decisions that I was thinking about making, when I heard counsel from others. Obviously, we don’t want to get into a situation where we are just making decisions now to please others. Ultimately, make decisions to please God, with our conscience before him. At the same time, God, by his grace, has put others around us who will help us grow in wisdom, who will help us make good, right, wise decisions.
Proverbs 15:22 Should Encourage Us To Seek Wise Council
And so, we pray God, we pray for wise counselors around us. God, I pray for this in my life, I pray for this in every single person who’s listening right now. That God, you would help us in our decision-making, in small things, in big things, whether you would surround us with spirit-filled men and women who fear you, who walk with you, who know your word, and who will counsel us accordingly. God, we all need that. We pray for that. And even as we pray for that from others, we pray they would help us to be that for others. As others come to use for counsel, please help us to give it, based on your word, and your spirit. God, make us wise counselors. Please make us wise advisors.
We pray that you would, in our decision-making, do what you did in Acts 15. When your church came together over some controversy they were dealing with, and they said it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, that we make this decision.
Prayer That the Spirit Would Guide Us
God, we pray for that kind of us, in our decision-making, that your Holy Spirit would lead and guide us, individually and together with counselors, in what is best. God, we praise you for your church, God I pray for anybody who’s listening to this right now who doesn’t have a local church community around them, where they can look to other brothers and sisters in Christ for counsel. And God, I pray that you would provide that for them, that you would lead them to a local church where that kind of community of counselors and advisors is living around them, sharing life with them.
We praise you for how you’ve built into the fabric of the church, what we need when it comes to counsel and advice. God, we pray that you would make us helpful brothers and sisters to others, in giving counsel based on your word. God, we pray that you would help us to heed. Proverbs 15:22, “Without counsel, plans fail. With many advisors, they succeed.” God, help as we pray to succeed through many advisors, through counsel around us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
