I will not write much about Micah’s calling, genealogy or upbringing but a brief on his response to what was made known to him. The intent being that through this brief comment you might see another side of ministry
The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Micah 1:1 NKJV
This is how he responded!
Because of this I [Micah] must lament (mourn over with expressions of grief) and wail, I must go barefoot and naked [without outer garments as if robbed]; I must wail like the jackals And lament [with a loud, mournful cry] like the ostriches.
MICAH 1:8 AMP
There is a call to ministry that many have forgotten or dismissed. Micah had a burden to lament and wail. It is rather unfortunate that many never seem to acknowledge this side of ministry.
It is not about how many sermons you can write. It’s not always about how many people were in the congregation when you preached. It’s not always about how many people gave an offering as you preached. Perhaps I should also state the obvious, it’s not about the level of virality of your sermon or sermon piece.
There is a ministry that transcends the need for a crowd. The ministry of travail and intercession. This is how Micah puts it;
“I must wail like the jackals And lament [with a loud, mournful cry] like the ostriches.
How many of us think that this is unbecoming of a preacher, or have never considered this to be a part of the ministry?
I know this is not common to many, however, it is in the bible. Remember the lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah. Who can forget the things that Hosea had to go through to illustrate the state of the nation. As it has been said, “in the mouth of two or three witnesses a thing is established”, Ezekiel had to do some things that were unpleasant.
This is the side of ministry that many do not want to be a part of. I want to categorically state the following:
It is my opinion that this side of ministry is the one that brings forth revival.
The motivation of all this was not to create viral moments, or generate multitudes of followers, or trendings but it was a direct response to what the Lord had revealed.
Remember he said, “because of this.” What was this “because of”? Well, here it is:
Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord God be a witness against you, The Lord from His holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming out of His place; He will come down And tread on the high places of the earth. The mountains will melt under Him, And the valleys will split Like wax before the fire, Like waters poured down a steep place. All this is for the transgression of Jacob And for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field, Places for planting a vineyard; I will pour down her stones into the valley, And I will uncover her foundations. All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, And all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; All her idols I will lay desolate, For she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, And they shall return to the pay of a harlot.”
Micah 1:2-7 NKJV
Will we respond to what God is revealing to our generation. Are we so far gone to respond in such a way because it’s not popular. I leave you to ponder these words from Micah:
Make yourself bald and cut off your hair, Because of your precious children; Enlarge your baldness like an eagle, For they shall go from you into captivity.
Micah 1:16 NKJV
Or will we be as dismissive as the King Hezekiah when Isaiah told him of what Babylon would do in generations to come
So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”
Isaiah 39:8 NKJV
