Recovery Devotional 291 The One We Don't Want to Ask

JMD Devotional 291 1 Kings 22:5-8 The One We Don’t Want to Ask

But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Inquire first, I pray you, for the word of the Lord today.

Then [Ahab] king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about 400 men, and said to them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I hold back? And they said, Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king. Jehoshaphat said, Is there not another prophet of the Lord here whom we may ask? [Ahab] king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good for me, but evil. Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say that.

In my various ways of rebellion, I always knew who not to ask for financial advice, vocational guidance, nutritional principles or for moral guidelines. There was always some conspicuous source of expert information that I shied away from. We do this in our depravity because we ‘know what they would say’. So we find 400 corrupt ‘prophets’ who comfort our conscience with the prevalent distortions of our day and culture, as if numbers outweighed the truth we seek to avoid. But God only needs one to represent the truth, to stand against the current, to unmask the frauds. Are we willing to be the one ‘they don’t want to ask?’

Dear God,

Truth and light are so fundamental to spiritual life. Your Son is the Way, the Truth and the Life; He is the Light of the World. Forgive me for trying to dodge the truth, for hiding from the light, for stubbornly trying to make my own way. Help me to love the truth so much that I will receive fitting criticism as a blessing, correction as love, guidance as caring. Help me to also be courageous as I more perfectly reflect your life and light and truth in my life, for Your praise and glory.

Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by

the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

*New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

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