Lord, please help me to change - Judith Couchman

STARTLING INT O TH E TRUT Homewhere i n folklor e or history , a messenger delivere dbad new s and go t slaughtere d fo r it . Bu t who kille d th emessenger and exactl y why? Nobody seems to know .Somebody suggeste d th e biblica l stor y o f Davi d killin g th eman wh o announced Saul' s death, bu t th e rea l reaso n centere don th e messenger' s boastin g o f personally killin g Sau l ( 2 Samue l1:1-15). Other s hav e nominate d th e Greeks , th e Persians ,Pharaoh, and Nebuchadnezza r a s messenger killers . I n an y event ,the saying , "Don' t shoo t th e messenger, " applies when w e receiv eunfortunate new s and rai l at somebody who's only a courier ."I well believe it , to unwilling ears; None lov e the messenge rwho brings bad news, " wrote Sophocles i n hi s play Antigone . 4 Mid -dle management wil l confirm how difficult the role of a go-betweencan be . Or polic e officer s who delive r death announcement s t ounsuspecting families. And God hel p the IR S clerk.Nobody wants to bear bad tidings . Bu t to use another cliche ,somebody's go t t o do it . I n fact , God ha s employed middl e me nand wome n fo r centuries. Noah' s ar k warned o f a coming flood .Moses blasted th e Israelite s for their golde n calf . Esther save d anation b y approaching th e king . Jeremiah begge d God' s peopl eto repent. Jesus walked th e earth fo r three years, preaching abou teternal judgment.In thes e and other biblica l incidents , a messenger riske d lif eitself t o delive r dir e news—an d th e receivers ' respons e deter -mined thei r fate and relationshi p wit h God .Hopefully, people wh o delive r message s t o u s don't ris k a smuch a s those i n th e Ol d an d Ne w Testaments. Bu t th e ris k i nour respons e loom s just a s great. W e can receiv e th e trut h abou tourselves wit h gratefulness—o r suffe r the consequence s o f si nand woundedness .When w e greet thes e messenger s a s allies, we also welcom ethe Frien d wh o "stick s closer tha n a brother" (Proverb s 18:24) ,the one who holds the powe r t o truly change us .1 Ha s someone pinpointe d you r need t o change ?.9