Inner Thoughts With Abba

We learned in the previous post that faith comes by hearing; but hearing is not limited to your physical ears; you can also hear with your heart. Hearing refers to the ability to understand, perceive, and take in what has been said or conveyed. You are hearing when you watch a movie or when you repeat a pattern. Reading the bible is a way of hearing. Reading the Bible reveals the many dimensions and characteristics of God, which has strengthened my faith. I see the bible as a source of many hidden treasures, if you have been struggling, it is time to take up your bible.

Jehoshaphat, one of the Kings of Judah, had an interesting story. He was known to have devoted his life to serving the Lord and executing His will. God established his throne and blessed him with immense wealth as a reward for his devotion to God. Indeed, God rewards those who seek Him diligently. Jehoshaphat was encouraged by this and took pride in serving the Lord; he destroyed the idols in the nation and urged the people to worship the Lord.

⁵ Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great wealth and honor. ⁶ His heart was encouraged and he took great pride in the ways of the Lord; moreover, he again removed the high places [of pagan worship] and the Asherim from Judah. ⁷ Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸ and with them were the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with them the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹ They taught in Judah having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

2 Chronicles 17:5-9

This tells me that the rewards normally draw we and others closer to God; if you feel that a blessing is pulling you away from God, there is a problem somewhere. Myles Munroe once stated that if the purpose of something is unknown, misuse is unavoidable. You must understand the true reason the Lord chose you as a steward of His blessings and make use of it in accordance with His Will.

Now, just because we love God and wish to do His will all the time doesn’t mean we won’t occasionally falter and deviate from it; the key thing is to repent and seek His help. In 2 Chronicles 18, Jehoshaphat allied with Ahab, King of Israel, who had abandoned the Lord by worshipping idols. They were to go to battle and as a man who sought God’s will, Jehoshaphat requested that they consult God (He should have done this before getting into the alliance). Even after Ahab summoned 400 false prophets, Jehoshaphat wasn’t content. He enquired as to whether anyone else might consult the Lord. I believe there was a way to tell which prophets were false and which were from God.

A little background: After Judah separated from the rest of Israel, Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, chose priests and prophets to serve idol altars he built because he wanted a place of worship like it is in Judah, preventing people from travelling to Judah. As a result, 400 false prophets were born.

Micaiah, a genuine prophet of God, was summoned by Ahab at Jehoshaphat’s request, and he foretold that Ahab would die in battle. I’m not sure why Jehoshaphat went into battle after hearing from God; possibly he wanted to honour the word he gave to Ahab. After all, keeping his promises is what makes him a king. As a side note, as King Priest, does your word have any weight? Can you be trusted to keep your word, or will people just ignore you since you always say things you wouldn’t do?

Let’s assume Jehoshaphat had to keep to his agreements with Ahab. Ahab, who believed himself to be clever, attempted to trap Jehoshaphat by having him wear the royal robes while he pretended to be a common soldier. Jehoshaphat became a target since he was dressed in royal attire and the adversaries were only interested in killing the king of Israel. When Jehoshaphat realised this, he prayed to God for assistance, and God immediately delivered him. This showed me that when we pray for mercy and call on God, He hears and realigns us because He knows we truly want to do His will.

A soldier then fired an arrow at Ahab at random, striking him fatally and killing him. Ahab was hit by the soldier’s random shot even though the soldier was unaware that he was the king. This tells me that God’s word will always be fulfilled; all that needs to happen is for the pieces to fall into place. Even though it seems random at times, the Lord orchestrates the events that occur. Was there a chance Ahab could have been saved? Yes, if he had cried out to God after hearing the message and repented of his sinful ways, knowing that God is a compassionate God, he would have shown him mercy, but instead, he disregarded the warning and went ahead to go in for battle. Look at the people of Nineveh, they were marked for destruction but when they repented God forgave them and didn’t destroy them.

The life of Jehoshaphat reveals the sweetness of trusting and relying in God. There is truly rest in God. There are so many examples of how God delivered those who relied on and trusted in Him.

²⁸ “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. 

Matthew 11:28

This call is to everyone, God is not looking for those who have it perfect and all figured out. He is calling those who want to figure life out with Him. You may have read this and haven’t accepted Jesus into your heart or feel like you’ve lost your way in the busyness of life.  I would like you to say this short prayer: “Lord Jesus, I acknowledge you as my Lord and personal saviour. I repent of my sinful ways. I say yes to your proposal. I ask that you come into my heart and make it Your dwelling place.  Lord Jesus, teach me your ways so that I may know you intimately”.

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