2 Chronicles 16:10a “Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him for this.”
UNWANTED CRITICISM
Asa was a good king for most of his reign, but towards the end he stopped relying solely on the Lord for deliverance and healing. Because the Lord loved Asa He sent Hanani to rebuke him. I can just hear Asa now. “You, Hanani, come to me and tell me I’m wrong? I’m the king.” So, he threw Hanani in prison.
We may not throw people in prison for confronting our sins, but we act the same way. “But I’m king of my castle. I don’t need your approval.” Have you ever felt that way when someone came to you as a brother or sister in Christ? It’s hard to take criticism. None of us like it. But God may just be using them, like He did Hanani, to correct your path.
TEACHING MOMENT
When children learn to accept criticism, wanted or unwanted, as a message from the Lord, they will live more humble, obedient lives. It is hard for our children to hear they aren’t doing something right. One of our jobs as parents is to show them how to hear criticism and measure it against God’s Word. If the correction is from the Lord, it will not conflict with the Bible.
I have tried to always give my children advice through the lens of His Word. I haven’t always been successful in that, but it is my goal. When I did that, and they didn’t receive the advice, I knew it wasn’t me they were rejecting. It was the Lord. I had done my job. The rest was up to the Lord and them.
Today, if someone critiques you, before you react, ask the Lord if this is from Him. The answer may just surprise you. I have always struggled with unwanted criticism. It just goes to show that you are never too old to learn a new Biblical truth.
