For Whom We Prophesy...

"Those who deal with the law did not know me;

the leaders rebelled against me.

The prophets prophesied by Baal,

following worthless idols."

-Jeremiah 2:8

I've read about prophets in the bible for since i was a kid. They come in kick down the doors declaring the word of God. They call down fire and eliminate the enemy. Strong, filled with authority and purpose. I guess my view of a prophet has always been like this.... until i read this passage. I still believe that prophets are alive and among us today. In our class rooms, our households, our work places and in our streets. Whether we know it or not... whether they know it or not. But as i read Jeremiah 2 it dawned on me that we're all prophets... but not all of the Living God.

For whom do you prophesy?

Reading that "The prophets prophesied by Baal" caught me off guard. Jeremiah wasn't the only voice booming with prophetic power in his time. There were others prophesying the schemes of other gods. Declaring their wills. There were voices that the people had to discern and decipher. The righteous will of God sometimes clashing with the voices of the lesser. Never any less sovereign or powerful, but still competing the for the ear of the people. I never stopped to think that being a prophet didn't necessarily mean speaking for God.

For whom do you prophesy?

In our words lies the power of life and death. Every compliment, every sarcastic joke, every hateful jab, every line of praise. Even the righteous can speak the words of the fallen and cause destruction and death by them if they aren't guarding their hearts.

May we be aware of the power in our tongues. May we use our words to speak on behalf of life. We can build up or tear down, all depending on who's behalf we're prophesying.