I Kings 22:8 "And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. . . ."
There is a big difference between asking God for advice and asking God for help. Folks nowadays ask "Dear Abby" for advice and "Dear Lord" for help. "This is what I'm going to do; God, please bless it" is their attitude. I'm not against asking for help, but wouldn't it make better sense to ask for advice before asking for help? It should not be so much a matter of God being on your side as it is you being on God's side!
King Ahab had no desire to ask God's advice about joining forces with Jehoshaphat in order to conquer Syria. Ahab got Jehoshaphat's approval but decided to ask God to "certify" their efforts. In the story of Ahab in I Kings 22, we can learn three truths about asking God.
First, don't bother asking if you don't want an answer! Ahab didn't really want to know God's mind on this matter; he was simply "humoring" God by asking. This reminds me of when I was a kid. I used to ask the kind of questions kids are famous for. I would say, "Dad, how does an engine work?" or, "Dad, why is the sky blue?" My dad's favorite answer was, "Well, do you really want to know?" If I did, he could take the next four hours to answer my brilliant questions in detail. Don't ask if you don't want the answer!
Second, don't bother asking if you will not accept the answer! Ahab knew a prophet of the Lord who would give him a straight answer from the Lord. If you really want to know the answer, be willing to accept the answer. There is a huge difference between curiosity and willingness when it comes to asking! If you are not willing to hear "no" and say "yes," you are not ready to ask.
Third, don't bother asking if you will not act on the answer! In the story, Micaiah the prophet said, "Don't do it or you'll die." And what did Ahab do? He took his men and marched down to do what he wanted to do! He didn't want an answer, and he certainly wasn't going to act on the answer!
Don't be like Ahab and come to God if you don't want an answer, will not accept the answer, and will not act on the answer He gives. Do you find yourself asking God when you don't want an answer or you're not willing to accept or act on the answer? Don't bother asking if you don't want to hear or heed the answer!
No comments:
Post a Comment