Journal of Biblical Counseling

We believe that God’s Word applies to what we see, experience, and wrestle with as we counsel in our day and age. The God who has spoken still speaks today, guiding our lives and shaping our approach to counseling ministry. This issue illustrates how this living Word connects with individuals facing pastoral burnout, postpartum distress, spiritual warfare, scrupulosity, and shame.

In this personal testimonial, Gundersen shares how God’s Word met him when he was at a low point in pastoral ministry. As we watch him work through Psalm 3, we see God’s ancient Word meeting a man in the here and now. And not only did the Word meet him in the specifics, but it also provided words that he could borrow to pray, which became proverbial handholds in the darkness.

This article encourages church leaders to improve their church’s care for new moms who may be experiencing a range of difficulties and need more than meals delivered. Robinson raises awareness of common postpartum struggles and then concretely suggests how churches can provide meaningful and proactive help for these often-invisible sufferers.

Welch tracks the activity of God’s heavenly court throughout the Bible, but he focuses our attention most on Zechariah’s fourth vision, which has some of the richest details of heavenly activity in the Old Testament. Here we see both the developing role of Satan as the Accuser and a depiction of the future work of Christ, as the filthy garments of the high priest are exchanged for clean ones. Though we are prone to forget that the spiritual battle between God’s people and the Evil One persists, Welch helps us stay engaged so  we can stand against Satan’s accusations.

Emlet draws from many years of counseling experience to clarify a Scripture passage that is often misunderstood by people struggling with scrupulosity. He begins with careful exegesis of the passage (because we need to understand it too) and then illustrates how to discuss its meaning in a sample dialogue with a counselee. This article will help you know how to approach this verse and similar passages of Scripture that a scrupulous counselee might bring up.

Counselees who feel forgotten, disregarded, or overlooked are on Liu’s heart as she equips counselors to use Hagar’s story with them. Because of Hagar’s timeless revelation in the Bible that there is a God who sees—sees her, her vulnerability, and her needs—we are all invited to find the same comfort and refuge in him.

Purchase the print or digital edition of the Journal of Biblical Counseling 39:3.