April 18

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For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, and has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it? Jeremiah 23:18

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🔊 The implication of the question is that few have stood in the counsel of the Lord. The words used here open to us the way we are to perceive His word. We are not to seek it like people scanning a newspaper. We are to stand with total attention to the quiet voice that speaks with command and absolute authority. This is a place, and it is also an attitude of heart and mind – a place of complete surrender, and a mind of absolute obedience. It is the attitude, not of a pompous general in the army, but of a devoted servant of the king, who loves to attend on his every wish. When we read the Word of God, or when we pray for guidance, the key is to stand in His counsel and count what He says as like great stone pillars that uphold not only our lives, but the eternal purposes of God. As we stand in His counsel, wisdom and authority flow into our beings. There is incredible authority in the person who waits on God.