Friday, September 24, 2010

Listen To His Voice

"If a liar and deceiver comes and says 'I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,' he would be just the prophet for this people!"

-- Micah 2:11

One thing I love about the Bible is how it speaks to what we see and experience today. I've been attending a Bible study on Micah, who is considered a minor prophet about the time of Isaiah. It's a book I've read numerous times but this is the first time I've been part of a group studying it. What a fascinating journey!

Micah prophesied to Judah, warning God's people that judgment was coming and calling on them to repent. They didn't want to hear it. No surprises there. We don't ever want to hear someone telling us we're doing something wrong and need to change our ways. That's especially true when life is good and someone is predicting that it's all going to change for the worse.

Other prophets of the day were telling the people exactly what they wanted to hear. Needless to say, they were quite popular. That's what Micah was saying in this passage. The people would believe anyone who told them what they wanted to hear. We're the same way. Oh, don't shake your head! You know I'm right. We bask in compliments, believe the tales of someone's easy money, and truly think we can have it all. We do.

But we can't. Life is about compromises and sometimes we have to give up what we want in order to get something totally better. God has such great plans for us. He really does. But we have to throw in the towel, give over control, follow His will and His word.

We're not good at that. And don't think I'm point fingers. I'm the one at the front of the line. What scares me most though is that we tend to put our heads in the sand and ignore what's happening around us. I see God being taken out of our country and it scares me. I know everyone has choices but when did my choice for God become less important than someone else's choice to reject God? Where are all the other voices, the Christian voices? It's like they're so busy fighting with each other that they can't see what's happening all around us.

I don't like to stir things up. Really, I don't. I just want a smooth, easy life where everyone around me gets along with everyone else. I'd rather keep my head down and my ears closed. But, increasingly, I'm coming to understand that isn't what God has called me -- or you -- to do. We're to be His voice in the world and we can't do that unless we pay attention and speak loudly on His behalf. I don't always like hearing what He's saying but it's what I need to hear.