John 2:24-25 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

Here, by contrast with Jesus, we can understand the limits of human psychology/psychiatry, not to mention interactions in general. We do not really know what is going on inside ourselves, much less in other people, but God does. On top of that, there’s the simple truth that a Christian clinical psychologist friend of mine once told me: “Psychology can diagnose but it can’t heal. Only God can heal.” We get tied in knots trying to “fix” people, when they really need to be referred to the Manufacturer! If you read the Gospels carefully, you realize that Jesus often spoke what seemed to be non sequiturs, that is, His words didn’t seem to follow what was being said around Him. A good case in point is in John 12, where Andrew and Philip tell Jesus that some Greeks want to see Him. His reply I’m sure left them puzzled: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23) That’s because Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, saw what was really going on, and He spoke to that rather than to surface events. This is the sort of thing Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 12 when he mentions “word of knowledge” and “word of wisdom,” as well as “discerning of spirits,” as gifts of the Holy Spirit. We aren’t going to be as perfectly in tune with the Holy Spirit as Jesus was, but the closer we get, the more we can walk in this sort of thing. We couldn’t handle knowing everything about everybody, but God can and does reveal what we need to know about those we deal with, if we are open and available to Him.

I’ve got a lot of room to grow in this area, but I’ve experienced the Lord telling me things about people that I had no human reason to know. Likewise my wife has perceived motives and situations that left some people thinking she was “paranormal.” Actually, she was operating in what should be fully normal in the Body of Christ! I am regularly faced with situations that are beyond my human understanding, much less ability. I am not to seek to know for the sake of knowing, but rather to be available to God as His instrument of blessing. Not only do I need to perceive underlying motives for words and actions, I need God’s wisdom and direction for how I am to respond to the individuals involved. The more I look to myself in such situations, the more I will panic, and understandably so, because they are beyond my ability. However, the more I look to Christ and allow Him to operate through me by His Spirit, the more peace I will have and the more He will be glorified as His will is done.

Father, thank You for the situation that confronts me right now, and for the insight You have given me. Thank You for reminding me of Matthew 12:20, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” The people involved are very bruised by many things. Keep me from breaking them, but rather pour Your cleansing and healing into them through me, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!