Who has ever bought something in a shop, but then tried to justify the purchase later? Who has been seeking guidance, and consulted different friends ... but in reality you are doing a tour until you find a friend who tells you what you want to hear? Probably we've all done these at one time or another! When it comes to guidance our emotions and stuff deep within us interact in strong ways. So when we say "I'm following Jesus ..." do we really have our lives set on Him to show a 'True North', or do we let these other factors win the day?
King Jehosophat of Judah has aligned himself with King Ahab of Israel, but Ahab is not interest in God. Ahab throws a feast, but he wants war: to attack Ramoth Gilead with Jehosophat going with him. Jehosophat is sensible enough to say: "We should ask God first". So Ahab brings together his prophets - 400 of them. They all say the same thing: 'Go and attack, you will be successful!'. However we should question whether they were simply saying what Ahab wants to hear!
Jehosophat asks if there is a prophet of the Lord to consult. People 'talking spiritually' and people genuinely inquiring after God and His wisdom are not always the same thing - we need to learn to tell the difference.
They call for Micaiah. Ahab doesn't like him, because he never says anything good for Ahab (we can only wonder why ...!). Micaiah says that he can only say what God tells him, and yet awkwardly at first he seems to go along with Ahab's desire. Ahab however can tell that Micaiah is being flippant and calls Micaiah to be truthful - then Micaiah lets him have it both barrels, so to speak.
What Micaiah is doing here is vitally important: he is speaking truth to power. This is the prophetic call at its best and most courageous. It is costly for him - Ahab has him put in prison until he gets back from battle, but of course Micaiah knows he is not coming back. A modern day example would be Dietrich Bonhoeffer who went back to Berlin before the war to start an underground theological college speaking against Nazi Germany - it cost him his life.
The story of Micaiah gives us big head-aches. He talks of a heavenly council, with God 'enticing' Ahab to go to war and meet his end. He also talks of 'lying spirits', seemingly sent with God's approval. We can't unpack all that here, but here is one theory: there are occasions where God sees the corrupt hearts of people and (with His gift of free will) 'gives them over' to their path. We get that sense in Romans 1 where Paul writes (in very broad terms) of God 'giving over' people to their ways.
If we want to avoid that for ourselves, then we have to keep checking and re-checking our hearts to ensure we are aligned with the 'True North' of God's direction. This is a life-time exercise for us. We know that a navigation compass points north, but we also know that with a magnet nearby it points elsewhere. In our own lives there are many things that can deflect us ...
So remember one of our habits that we talk about at Countess Free Church - the attitude of being 'ever closer to Jesus'. That is about keeping us to True North. With that comes this key question and challenge:
Key Qn: [IN] Am I open to God's direction, or in truth will I only set about 'my thing'?
Challenge: Lay down your plans & preferences before God, again and again
The question can be read in two ways. Firstly are we open to God re-directing us, or in truth are we more like Ahab, set on our own thing? Secondly are we open to the bigger picture of what God is doing with other believers, and therefore open to contributing our own time and energy to it - even though it is not 'our thing?'. Sadly there are good Christians out there who only ever give of themselves when it is 'their thing', rather than contributing to the move of God in a wider body.
The challenge is the antidote to us being stuck on our own plans: to lay them down before God. This is something we must do repeatedly. Any new initiative we have taken as a church has required us to not rush in and check ourselves on multiple occasions. If it is truly of God, He will pick it up again and give new energy and impetus. For those that are open, He will also give the nudging to get involved.
Remember that the practical action we take on the ground relates (or should relate) to God's order in the heavenlies. Remember the curious vision of Micaiah! Remember also that there is battle and conflict in the heavenlies - important for us right now at this time of literal conflict on earth. We have to empty ourselves of 'self', to be in Christ and stand only in His armour. Our aim is to find God's way that matches His way in the heavenlies.
In the final analysis the real battle belongs to God: are we in line with it, or do we let ourselves be deceived?
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