Surrender

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” 1 Peter 5:6

Good Morning,

I was recently reading 1 Kings Chapter 22. In this account, King Jehoshaphat of Judah and King Ahab, the notorious husband of Jezabel, are planning a battle. Before they go out into battle, Jehoshaphat tells Ahab to consult God before the battle. Ahab gathered 400 prophets to tell him whether God would give them victory. These prophets gave them the go-ahead. Jehoshaphat, however, was not convinced. He said, “Is there not another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?” Ahab responded by saying, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” (1 Kings 22:7-8, emphasis mine). At first, this prophet gives them good news, but Ahab doesn’t believe him, and then finally Ahab and Jehoshaphat get the truth that Ahab will not win this battle.

Ahab would go on to die in this battle. What stood out to me here is that Ahab said, “I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” (2 Kings 22:8). Ahab is not surrendering his will to God. He wants it to appear as if he is, but in reality, he only seeks the prophets who will tell him what he wants to hear. He would do his own will either way, but he wanted to make it appear that God was on his side. How often do I do that in my own life? Richard Stearns, in his book Lead Like it Matters to God, says that we have one job as Christians: to totally surrender to the will of God. And this is a blessing, not a burden.

Peter sums this up very well in 1 Peter Chapter 5. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7) If we surrender to Him, He will lift us up. God welcomes us not only to surrender our will but to free us from our worries with the promise that He cares for us.

Have a great day,

Payton Arnett