Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 21 & 22

Today, we continue the theme that we found in yesterday’s reading: our absolute faith in our own “right-ness.” We are right! We just know it. No matter what anyone might say to the contrary, we are utterly convinced that our opinion is correct, that our plan is good and that our way is the right way. And throughout history, God has reminded his people (and some that wouldn’t call themselves his people) that his opinions, his plans and his ways are right and good and true.

You have to wonder why this is such a difficult concept for us to grasp. And in fact, it’s not so difficult when looking at other people. I mean, if you’re like me, you read the story of how Micaiah warned Ahab about his future and you think, “How stupid can this guy be?” I mean, how arrogant do you have to be to completely ignore the words of a prophet who is giving you great detail about God’s plan to destroy you.

I’m a big football fan and when I read this, it’s as if a football team is preparing for a game and they’re all coached up and ready to go. They’ve studied game film, researched their opponents and prepared for exactly the kind of game they think they’re going to have. Then, somebody shows up with the other teams playbook. Not only that, but they have video of the other coaches talking about their game plan. They’ve got insiders telling them exactly what the other team is going to do. But because that new (and overwhelming) evidence doesn’t match the coach’s previous assumptions, he just dismisses the advice.

It’s an insane call to make! And yet, it’s one that Ahab makes in today’s reading and, frankly, one that I make on a regular basis. Faced with mounting evidence of God’s plan, I often choose to continue following my own because, well, because it makes more sense to me. In some ways, I’m like that football coach and in others, I’m like my little 2 year old girl. If she sees a piece of food in the floor (that she, undoubtedly dropped there earlier) her natural instinct is to pick it up and eat it. It makes sense to her. It’s food and food is meant to be eaten. But what she doesn’t know (and I do know) is that food that has been on the floor all day isn’t fit to eat.

But you see, her plan to eat it makes more sense to her than my plan for her to throw it in the trash. She doesn’t have as much information as I do. And yet, she’s convinced that she’s right and I’m wrong. Sometimes, when I think about a scenario like that, I picture God the Father looking down on me and saying, “Go ahead. Eat it. But you’re not going to like the way it tastes!”

Here’s to following God’s wisdom and God’s plan and tasting the good things in life instead of the stale, spoiled floor-food.