Intervention

The show Intervention has always been a guilty pleasure of mine.  If you aren’t familiar with the show, allow me to hook you with the premise.  The 60-minute reality TV show films the story of a person battling addiction and the families’ valiant effort to bring their loved one to sobriety through the help of a trained interventionist.  I have invested interest in the show as a professional counselor who often works with individuals in similar crisis.  However, my interest goes beyond a professional context. There is nothing I find more inspiring or exciting than hearing the testimony of a changed life.

I think God often works as our interventionist.  John describes
the Holy Spirit’s role in a believer’s life.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:25

God points out through His Holy Spirit the areas of our lives that are not pleasing to Him.  God even tells us in His Word the necessary “interventions” that need to take place in order experience a fulfilling life.  God also brings people into our lives to help us in the process repenting of sin, kicking that addiction, or forgiving that person who wronged us.  The problem is most people are waiting on God to do all the work.

Where does our responsibility come in?  Is God responsible for making every change in my life?  If God is all-powerful then can’t he just take away this temptation, situation, addiction, difficult person, etc.?  A question I hear probably more than anything else in my counseling office is, “Why did God let (fill in the blank) happen?”  While the answer to that question is multifaceted and in many respects a mystery, there are instances where we tend to ignore our role in our present difficult situation.  Ignoring our role prevents us from gaining full insight into what contributed to our plight in the first place.  While it sounds very spiritual to “let go and let God”, often God is responding, “Wait! I’m not doing all of this! You’re coming too!”

While the Bible is full of recounts of God’s power, it is also full of stories of people having to listen and respond to God’s “interventions” in order to experience freedom. David gives a perfect example of this in the Psalms.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  Psalm 139:23-24

One of the most honest and difficult prayers we can pray is to ask God what our role is in our present situation and what He would like us to change.                                     Questions to ask God:

• Is there any area of my life that is displeasing to you?
• Did I ignore or disobey principles in Your Word that contributed to my present situation?
• What is one thing You would like me to start doing and stop doing?

About the Writer:
Julia is a counselor at Meier Clinics where she specializes in treating teenagers and women struggling with eating disorders, depression, anxiety & self-harm.  She is the Girl’s Ministry Associate for the Student Ministry at First Baptist Dallas and a professional youth speaker for Just Say Yes.  Julia has served in student ministry alongside her husband for the past 7 years. Julia has a heart to see people experience the same freedom through Christ that she has experienced!