Solomon's Counselors

And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?...But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:

1 Kings 12:6-8

Did you notice that? Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had counselors. Why? Isn't that a bit redundant? Or is it great wisdom to realize that no matter how wise you are, you need the advice and counsel of others? I suspect the latter. Even the great wisdom of Solomon, was made wiser by the counsel of others.

But we do at times forget that don't we? I recall a time when I had a terrible church problem dumped in my lap. I really didn't know what to do. I was tempted to just leave and let it be someone else's problem, but then my wife asked "Is that what God would want you to do?" No, it wasn't. Ok, but I still don't know what I should do. This problem threatened the very existence of a congregation. Handle it wrong and the congregation would cease to exist. So what to do? I remembered a great promise in the book of James.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5

I embraced that promise. I made it mine, and I prayed. I asked, implored, begged God to give me the wisdom to work through to His solution for this problem. I believed it would happen...Every day for that couple of months, as I drove down the road to another home, another brush fire, I asked, and expected. I expected that "ah-ha!" moment. You know, the instant when the answer appears, crystal clear, fully formed before you...but it never came. Oh, I did my best, I called my Dad and a few other elders, evangelists, and older men for their advice, but I never got that Ah-ha moment.

Somehow we did struggle through. We got it right. We did, in that instance, what God would have us do, even though it was painful and difficult, and now there thrives a healthy, growing congregation where only a shell exited before. As the smoke cleared and the dust settled, I began to wonder. What did I do wrong? Why did I not receive the promised wisdom to handle that problem. I believed, I prayed, I sought His will in His word, but no fireworks. Not even that 'still small voice in the night'. I never doubted God, or the promise mind you, but I just didn't understand.

Oh well, you can't dwell on something like that forever, so I moved on...still puzzled, but moving on none the less. Then one day, many months later, when reviewing the situation in my mind I understood and I said "Ah-Ha!".

You see, God did answer my prayer, He just didn't answer it the way I expected Him to. His answer was there, right in front of me all the time, guiding and directing me. Instead of a "flash of lightening" moment though, what God did was to surround me with wise counselors who steered me through the process. That shouldn't have surprised me. The wise man himself had told me.

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
Proverbs 11:14