"Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." (Psalm 73:24)

One of the marks of these latter days is a great proliferation of counseling needs and services. Not only have the numbers of professional psychologists and psychiatrists multiplied, but also those of investment counselors, guidance counselors, marriage counselors, and others in great variety.

No doubt all of us need occasional advice from wise counselors, and some--even born-again Christians--may require professional help for serious psychological problems. Where, then, should one go to get such counsel?

Not to a non-Christian counselor! "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly" (Psalm 1:1). "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me" (Isaiah 30:1). The tenets of humanism, especially the supposed animal ancestry of mankind, have infected the secular psychological professions more than almost any other, and counsel based on such a foundation can be devastating.

What about Christian counseling? The best Counselor, of course, is Christ Himself, for He is the "Wonderful, Counsellor" (Isaiah 9:6), and He "worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Ephesians 1:11). Indwelling us is His Holy "Spirit of truth" and Christ has promised that "he will guide [us] into all truth" (John 16:13). Best of all, we have His inspired Word, which is "perfect, converting [that is, restoring] the soul: . . . sure, making wise the simple. . . . right, rejoicing the heart: . . . pure, enlightening the eyes" (Psalm 19:7-8). The true Christian counselor, therefore, must always provide counseling in accordance with Scripture, prayerfully guided by the indwelling Spirit of truth. In this way, as promised in our text, He will guide us with His counsel throughout our lives, and finally receive us into glory. HMM