Don't shoot the messenger

It is hard to accept bad news or for someone to tell you "no".  We always want to hear positive things and hope that life is always going to be good to us.  However, reality is that there are some things that happen that are bad or there somethings we are told are not good for us to do.

I can remember as a 16 year old my dad thought it would be a good idea for me to not drive by myself for a few months after getting my license. Being the know it all kid that I was, I adamently disagreed with him.  About two days later I found my dad's truck that I so happened to be driving at the time perched over a brook with three flat tires.  I had been driving way to fast when I hit those train tracks.

I have learned since those days that my dad had a lot of wisdom that if I had listened to him life would have been a whole lot better. 

In this passage is a king who is told by a prophet that what he did was wrong and instead of turning around and doing right, the king puts him in prison.

2Ch 16:7 — 2Ch 16:10
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, Because you relied on the king of Syria and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.
Were not the Ethiopians and Libyans a huge host with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied then on the Lord, He gave them into your hand.
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. You have done foolishly in this; therefore, from now on you shall have wars.
Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison [in the stocks], for he was enraged with him because of this. Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

Asa from that day never turned to God and died with a disease in his feet and never sought God for his healing.  I wonder, if he had depended on God for healing instead of the physicians, would God have healed him?  I would suggest that most likely He would have.

We need to listen to those who hear from God and those in spiritual authority over us.  If someone says they don't think it is a good idea for us to do something, perhpaps it is a good idea to listen and strongly consider what they are saying.  

Lord, help me today to be open to what you have to say to me through others.  Don't let me be angry with the answer, but help me to accept your reproof no matter how much I don't like it.  Help me to understand that your ways are always best.