Having God as Your Kitchen Cabinet

Daily Reflection / Produced by The High Calling

The LORD is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant.

Psalm 25:14

The phrase "kitchen cabinet" was originally used in a derogatory sense by critics of President Andrew Jackson's group of intimate advisors. In time, however, the phrase has come to refer to a small group of close advisors, those who are trusted by a leader and have considerable influence over that leader.

According to Psalm 25:14, God can be your kitchen cabinet. This truth is not immediately clear from the New Living Translation: "The LORD is a friend to those who fear him." If you examine the original Hebrew, however, you find that the word translated here as "friend" is actually sod. The primary meaning of sod is "council" or "counsel." Often, it means something like "secret" or "secret counsel." The NLT uses "friend" to convey the sense of intimacy embedded in the word sod. Thus, Psalm 25:14 does indeed suggest that God could be in your kitchen cabinet.

It also reveals how this can happen. The LORD is a source of intimate counsel "to those who fear him" (25:14). If you want God in your inner circle of advisors, then you must acknowledge his awesomeness and sovereignty. Ultimate respect for God is a prerequisite to receiving his guidance.

It's common today for Christians to say that they want God's will for their lives. Perhaps you are seeking his will for your life. Our passage today would encourage you to "fear" the Lord, to regard him with reverent respect, and to be ready to receive his counsel with openness and obedience. Then, God will be your kitchen cabinet.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Are you seeking God's will for some area of your life? Are you willing to receive his counsel openly and obediently? Do you "fear" the Lord?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, yes, I do want your guidance. I want you to be my kitchen cabinet. Yet, I realize that sometimes I do not fear you. I do not regard you with the honor and respect you deserve. I do not bow before you in humble submission of my whole life. Forgive me.

Help me, I pray, to fear you in all that I do, think, feel, and say. May my heart always be open to your counsel. May my life always be at your service. Amen.

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By Mark D. Roberts. Published by The High Calling, January 20, 2013. Image by valentina cinelli. Used with Permission.

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© 2013 by The High Calling and the Theology of Work Project, Inc.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.