The Christian Counselor's Manual CH 7

Prayer: The Base for Christian Counseling

The author states that prayer is our basis for counseling. Of course the Lord’s directives in prayer are foundational to all that we do, say and think. We must be careful in all that we do, say and think…to act wise rather than unwise (Eph 5). The author comments that “When prayer grows out of and becomes a part of intelligent thought, both its content and fervency are likely to be greater” (Adams, J.E., 1973, p. 49). I have a friend that is a great logical thinker. Her prayers have tremendous power due to their focus. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much!

When counseling and praying there are some dangers to avoid that might stem from anxious praying of which we should be anxious for nothing, but give it up to the Lord with thanksgiving. Also, at times people can be led to pray, to sit at Jesus’ feet like Mary and not act like Martha. One way to look at the Mary vs. Martha contrast is to have the perception that Mary was a person of much action after she sat at Jesus’ feet and Martha was a person of great anxiety, always preparing and making things just so, without regard to much prayer. If this perception is correct, these two personalities are great example of what the author states about inactive prayer that “Instead it is ora et labora, “pray and work” (Adams, J.E., 1973, p. 51). We can learn a lot about prayer through Mary, in that we should sit in quiet confidence and listen to the Lord, especially when we’re feeling anxious like Martha might have been. Once we’ve heard from the Lord, we should act in faith and not be double minded about what He’s showing us to do.

Overall the main points from the author in this chapter are to beware that a counselor should not encourage faith without works or works without faith and should avoid common pitfalls of prayer in counseling that include:
1. depending on prayer alone when the Scriptures direct additional action;
2. turning prayer into a self-pity session.
(Adams, J.E., 1973, p. 50)

Ok, this was a lot to get out of a chapter that was 2.25 pages long!

Adams, J.E. (1973). The Christian Counselor’s Manual. p. 49-51. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.

Scriptures for further Study:
Jam 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Phl 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Luk 10:39 -42 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.[fn6] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

James 4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you–who are you to judge your neighbor? Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Blue letter bible. (2008). Spurgeon Commentaries. Retrieved August 30, 2008, from http://blueletterbible.org