A Prophet Called By God

Did you ever take one of those spiritual gifts assessments? There are a variety of them out there, and I've always been intrigued by them. Mostly I just wanted to really believe that God had made me special, I guess. Finding out that I had true spiritual gifts has always, in some way, affirmed or validated me. I guess I've always been more than a little desperate for affirmation and validation.

One of my most dominant spiritual gifts is the gift of prophecy. I've taken several of the different assessments out there and they all seem to corroborate this --- so now I view it as fact (rather than hope). I've become a Christian. I'm growing in Christ. I love Jesus with all my heart. I'm trying to figure out how He can use me for Kingdom work. And then I find out that one of my most dominant spiritual gifts is prophecy. What does this mean?

Over the last several years, I've made it my business to learn about the spiritual gift of prophecy and studied people in the Bible who've had that gift. I've come to understand that I am a prophet. That's right, I'll say it again. I believe I am a modern day prophet.

Now you can call me conceited or whatever (and I know some of you will). But if you knew what I know about prophets you would think twice about such assessments. I haven't found very many actual prophets in the Bible whom I would want to trade lives with. Oh sure, they got to eternity with Christ and all --- and so will I. But their lives here on earth were not exactly charmed. Take Jeremiah for example.

By worldly standards, Jeremiah was a dismal failure. For 40 years he served as God's spokesman. But when he spoke --- nobody listened! Consistently and passionately Jeremiah urged people around him to act, but nobody moved. He exhorted them. He cajoled them. He argued with them. And they blew him off. For 40 years! Jeremiah even wept of the travesties he saw amongst his people. He saw suffering and devastation that could be avoided if only the people would listen to what he had to say. It was so awful he suffered just from the view God gave him of the circumstances he found himself in.

I see a lot of myself in Jeremiah. I often talk to God and He talks right back to me. In fact God talks to me so boldly, so clearly and so consistently that I rarely do I ever wonder what God's perspective is. I have made it a habit to ask God to let me see the circumstances I find myself in and the people I find myself with through His eyes. I ask Him to let me hear with His ears. I ask God to let me think about things with His mind. You see, I never trust my own eyes, ears or thinking. They've been too deceptive in the past to ever be trusted now. But when God shows me His perspective, He often shows me the travesties of sin and disobedience. Then He tells me to call the people to turn to something better. Often I do just that. I've been accused of being too outspoken, too judgmental, critical, closed-minded, etc. In other words, when I speak what God tells me to speak, nobody listens.

The basic theme of Jeremiah's prophecy was simple. "Repent and turn to God or He will punish." Now that's a little different than the prophecy God gives me. Mine is replete with grace and love. In fact, the people that I am the hardest on are the ones who listen to me the most and usually the ones I end up having a true love relationship with. God knits our hearts together in amazing ways. So I often find myself on my knees, crying and hugging someone who has taken the time to listen to what God had for me to say.

Jesus often said that "a prophet is never accepted in his own town." I guess that was Jeremiah's problem. He stayed in his own town and did what God told him to do. I've tried that too, and usually gotten similar results. So does God have a new strategy, maybe to take us prophets away from our home towns so people will listen.

When I'm discouraged, I look at men like Jeremiah and I feel so much like them it isn't funny. I see myself in them and in their situations. My circumstances at least feel similar to theirs. I'm tempted in those times to give up. But then I read on and I see that in God's eyes, Jeremiah was one of the most successful people in all of history. He was obedient and faithful. He persevered in the face of opposition and personal cost. And he courageously and faithfully proclaimed whatever God told him to. He was obedient to his call to be a prophet. And when I read his book in the Bible, I see that it all starts with Jeremiah's calling to be a prophet. He discovered --- or rather God just flat out told him --- that one of his most dominant spiritual gifts was the gift of prophecy. The rest was history.

"Lord, today let me be obedient to my calling. I don't know why you would choose a fool like me to say the things you have me say. But I accept that it's you who does it. And I'm honored to be in your service in any capacity. Help me, Lord, not to sin in my discouragement when it seems that my 'career' as a prophet is bombing. Instead, help me to be obedient and faithful, persevering in the face of opposition and personal cost, courageously and faithfully proclaiming whatever it happens to be that you want me to proclaim from day to day. And most of all, dear Father, teach me to be obedient to my calling. These things I ask of you, in Jesus' name. Amen."