The Value of Many Voices

“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” (Pr 11:14 AV)

Not just a few counsellors.  Many counsellors.  A multitude of counsellors.  A whole slew of counsellors.  So many counsellors, it would be had to keep track of them all.  Why?  Because there is more to counselling than giving counsel.  Because a multitude of voices can give harmony rather then mere melody.  Because part of the job of a counsellor is both support and accountability.  The more voices we hear that are in concert, the more strength we derive from the counsel.  The more teachers that share the same advice, the more support we gather from the group.  It is a good thing to have many voices all saying the same thing.

This reminds me of my ordination examination.  I was a nervous wreck.  There we possibilities of questions raised that scared me.  For one who is horrible at memorization, I was afraid I might be asked to rattle off hundreds of verses on any given topic.  As the examination began, my anxiety was at an all time high.  Struggling to stay focused as the men of God examined my pre-written doctrinal statement, finding an occasional hole or two, it seemed like it was going to be a long afternoon.  However, somewhere towards the three-quarter mark, the tide turned.  I realized these men were not there to trip me up.  When there was a weak area of my doctrinal statement, they pointed it out and offered a better wording or alternate position.  I slowly began to realize at some point, these men ceased to be my examiners an took on the role of counsellors.  It dawned on my they were not there to see my fail, but succeed.  These godly men understood that to which God called me, and desired my success, and not failure.

There us security in may voices.  Many voices can be wrong.  But rarely.  A multitude of counsellors, all saying the same thing makes a decision all the easier.  It is easy to turn down the advice of one.  Much harder to ignore the advice of one hundred.  As we get older, our group of counsellors seems to get less.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  A counsellor doesn’t have to be living.  There are many wise and great men of God who have left their counsel behind.  It might help to realize one day, that we will meet those counsellors whom we have only know in written form.  One day, I will meet Spurgeon, Gill, Clarke, Finberg, Bounds, Finny, Torrey, Hunt, Burkoff, and a thousand other authors who were my counsellors and friends.  No one is perfect nor can take the place of the LORD and Hid word, but they were there when I needed them and trusted counsellors all.