Devotions for November 19, 2020
Prayer
O God, I pray for clarity. Teach me to listen carefully. Guide
me to discern your message. Help me to hear faithful interpreters and prophets.
Let your truth ring out through the noise. Draw me away from distractions to be
at peace in your presence. Let my concerns for the world, the petitions of my
heart, and my requests for loved ones rest into your capable hand as I lift
them to you now… I ask all this in your great and Holy Name. Amen.
1 Kings 22:13-23
The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him,
“Look, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king; let
your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” But Micaiah
said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”
When he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah,
shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” He answered him,
“Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But the
king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but
the truth in the name of the Lord?” Then Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel
scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd; and the Lord
said, ‘These have no master; let each one go home in peace.’” The king of
Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy
anything favorable about me, but only disaster?” Then Micaiah said, “Therefore
hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the
host of heaven standing beside him to the right and to the left of him. And the
Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, so that he may go up and fall at
Ramoth-gilead?’ Then one said one thing, and another said another, until a
spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’
‘How?’ the Lord asked him. He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in
the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are to entice him, and
you shall succeed; go out and do it.’ So you see, the Lord has put a lying
spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has decreed disaster
for you.”
Reflection
A rare look into the complicated inner world of a prophet. No
prophets do not usually give good news of butterflies and rainbows, so when
they do, it sounds suspect. In a world that is out of balance, we need a
faithful and reliable prophet to speak God’s truth. What rings so loudly
through to our current time is that when good leaders speak a truthful reality,
they are ridiculed or fired. Nobody likes a prophet. This might be why there
are so very few degree programs for prophets! We can also see in the passion
and depth of the prophetic voice why religion and politics do indeed connect. Prophets
give a spiritual compass for the leadership decisions. Today as then, there are
many voices that speak the truth. Identifying it means a careful and prayerful
listening with an ear for the advocate for the poor, weak, powerless, and unity
with diversity. You should hear calls for care of others and submission to God—love
of God and love of neighbor is also the distinguishing rule.
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