Is It Easier To Listen To Or Speak Truth?

Day 126:  Number 9, Psalm 126 & 1 Kings 22

In today's reading in 1 Kings Ahab the king of Israel want to go to war with Syria and take back the city of Ramoth-gilead along with the help of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah.  But before Jehoshaphat will go to war with Ahab he wants to hear from the Lord - not a bad idea.  So Ahab calls all these prophets who encourage him to go to war and say that God will give Ramoth-gilead into his hands.  That's good news, right?!  Well, Jehoshaphat wasn't convinced so another prophet was called, Micaiah.  Micaiah was warned to give the king a favorable word, like the other prophets had done but Micaiah would only speak what he heard from the Lord.  Here's what he told the king, "if you go up to Ramoth-gilead you will die and the people of Israel will be scattered."

It's not easy to hear things that we don't want to hear.  Nobody likes to be told they are in the wrong or that something they want to do is not wise or what God would want for them.  But is it easier to listen to the truth or to speak it?

I was once in a situation where I felt compelled to do whatever I could to keep an individual from making, what I believed, was a terrible mistake.  It was not easy.  This individual had their heart set on something that I could see would end poorly for them and everyone involved.  So I tried to speak the truth into their situation, but they wouldn't listen.  They heard what I said and I think they could even see that what I was saying was probably the truth, but they so wanted what they they wanted and had a few others telling them what they wanted to hear so my advice was disregarded.

It's not easy to speak the truth to those you love, especially when you know they do not want to hear it.  And I'm not in any way comparing myself to the prophet Micaiah, I'm only comparing situations.

It is much easier to tell those you love what they want to hear, but I don't think that is the loving thing to do.  While it might make them feel better in the short-term who will they come to when it all comes crashing down?  You'll either be the bad guy up front or the bad guy on the back end of the devastation.

As a pastor, I want to tell the truth even if it is painful.  I don't want to say "I told you so" as someone is picking up the pieces of their lives, I want to be able to help them avoid breaking in the first place.

So here's my encouragement.  I think that we would all be a lot better off if we stopped telling our friends and family members just what we thought they wanted to hear and start telling them the truth as we see it.  You could be wrong - I could be wrong - but I'd much rather warn and be proven wrong than encourage and have my fear realized.

As a pastor I'm either going to be the bad guy on the front end or the back, I choose the front end just in case it helps someone avoid trouble down the road.

The next time someone tells you something difficult don't blow it off, give yourself time to process and consider, they may just be the voice of God helping you to avoid devastation.