Sometimes, Scripture just isn’t enough for us.

Even for those of us who are Christians—and therefore consider the Bible to be the perfect, powerful, infallible words of God himself—sometimes even the most well-meaning citation of a passage from the Bible does little or nothing to console us when we’re hurting or give us understanding when we’re confused. We need more than the Bible, we say. We need something real and practical.

Sadly, some pastors and professional counselors are prone to make the same mistake. Don’t beat people over the head with Scripture, they say. Listen. Encourage. Help. The Bible is not the main thing that drives our counseling. In fact, quoting verses from Scripture, it is said, might actually do more harm than good.

Yet have you ever stopped and wondered why this is the case? What is going on in our hearts and minds that we would judge God’s Word to be of little use in our greatest times of despair? As I’ve considered this myself, I have found in my own heart—and have often seen revealed in others—that such a low esteem of Scripture is rooted in a prideful, idolatrous dependence on ourselves and on the wisdom of this world rather than God.

As such, I want to offer two suggestions to help you depend more on God’s Word for help in troubled times. First, an encouragement: God’s Word has real power to save us, comfort us, and give us wisdom. And second, a warning: It is dangerous and foolish to disregard God’s Word.

God’s Word has real power to save us, comfort us, and give us wisdom.

First, we need to understand that the Bible has real power to save us, comfort us, and give us wisdom. The Bible is God’s inspired, infallible Word, and it is his primary means of revealing himself and speaking to us. Therefore, the Bible is always relevant.

Consider the apostle Paul’s counsel to his young disciple Timothy:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

– 2 Timothy 3:16

Notice the comprehensiveness of Scripture’s usefulness in Paul’s view. All Scripture is useful for all aspects of ministry—whether it be teaching, rebuking, or counseling. And why is Scripture so useful? Because it comes directly from the all-powerful, all-sufficient God himself. The words of the Bible are the words of God.

It is helpful also to note that Timothy is a pastor. Why is this important? Well, the ironic fact is that many pastors today are the ones who functionally have the least trust and dependence on God’s Word in matters of everyday ministry. Instead, it’s so easy to rely more on ministry models and techniques learned from a book or a seminary classroom. But here is something that far too many pastors miss: While textbooks and seminars can be useful aids, they can never be a replacement for the real thing—God’s inerrant Word, the Bible.

So much did Paul believe this, that he also wrote this to Timothy:

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

– 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Pastor, give yourself to studying, understanding, and preaching God’s Word. Don’t flinch from it. Do it continually and well. Christian, expect this from your pastor. Demand it from him. Keep him accountable in it. Faithfully teaching you God’s Word is his primary job.

But this lesson is not just for pastors. It’s for all Christians. As God’s people, we must understand that our greatest and most important resource for teaching and encouraging one another is God’s Word. When we rely on our own wisdom and techniques, we undermine our own claims that we trust God.

Do you really trust God? Then humble yourself, and rely totally on his perfect wisdom. Preach the Word!

It is dangerous and foolish to disregard God’s Word.

The second lesson, then, deals with how we receive counsel and encouragement: It is dangerous and foolish to disregard God’s Word. Again, let’s take a look at what the apostle Paul says to Timothy on this matter:

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

– 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Paul’s observation here is, sadly, the reality of the human heart. We don’t naturally want truth. We want what sounds good to us. The problem is, our rebellious posture against God’s laws often gives us terrible discernment. The things we want to hear are sometimes not the things we need to hear. In order to get the help our souls really need, we must be reminded of God’s holiness, our sin, Christ’s death and resurrection for our forgiveness, and our need to trust him.

The reason Paul so adamantly charges Timothy to preach the Bible is that he recognizes our sinful proclivity to pursue false teaching.

Essentially, Paul is telling Timothy: “Look, the deck is stacked against you. The people you are shepherding do not naturally love the truth. In fact, many of them love falsehood so much that they will beg you for it. But don’t do it. Don’t give them what they want. Give them what they need. Give them the one thing you know is absolutely true and unfailing. Give them the Word of God.”

The implications here couldn’t be clearer for us. We must rely totally on God’s Word. The Word of God is the best medicine for your own hurting heart and the hearts of those you are ministering to.