So I haven’t written in about a week, nor have I posted the second
part of what I promised at Easter…so this post is going to be a little longer
to make up for that.
I knew as I accepted the challenge of the World Race that God was
going to do some serious change in me over the coming year. To be completely
honest, I was craving change. Life was good, but I was thirsting for something
more. In looking back over the blogs that I have written since I was accepted
to join the June 2010 World Race team, I have come to realize that the change I
knew was coming began the moment I said “yes.”
One of the things that is written in descriptions about the World
Race is “discovering your inheritance.” This sounded like a cool concept to me,
but I admit that I didn’t really understand what it meant when I first read it.
I know from Scripture that we are promised an inheritance in heaven, but I
believe that I am just coming to understand what it means to discover the inheritance
we have here and now, on this earth and in this life. Among the different
things God has taught me and ways He has grown me in the last few months, I
believe that He has revealed to me that part of my inheritance is a spiritual
gift He has given me and with which He has equipped me: prophecy.
Before you think I’m getting all high-minded spiritually, let me
explain a little bit. I had heard of prophecy before but never really explored
the concept, because to me, prophecy was associated with the role of prophets
in the Old Testament – virtually being physical metaphors of God’s judgment and
foretelling His people what to expect in days to come. This was a rather
overwhelming and unappealing role to me. I mean seriously, being physical
metaphors of God’s judgment in ways ranging from weeks, months, and years of
physical suffering (such as Ezekiel) to marrying prostitutes (as in the case of
Hosea) to preaching a message from God that fell on deaf ears over and over (as
did Isaiah) in order to communicate a message…not exactly an occupation or
calling I’d be excited about. And honestly, the combination of the difficult
tasks of the prophets and the stubborn, rebellious nature of God’s people I
find quite depressing (though I realize, sadly, that that nature often
characterizes me as well). One particular verse I came across in Ezekiel recently
caught my attention, though: “You have
not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so
that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord” (Ezekiel
13:5). These are God’s words through Ezekiel to the false prophets of the day.
At first glance, it appears to be another depressing message of judgment.
However, the footnotes in my study Bible present a different perspective,
explaining that this verse alludes to the intended role of the prophets – to
repair the “breaks” in the wall of the house of Israel, “so that it will stand
firm in the battle on the day of the Lord.” I think that presents a glimmer of
hope and purpose in the midst of the suffering that the prophets underwent. And
it sounds quite similar to the role and position of Someone that came centuries
later who “was despised and rejected by
men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering…[who] took up our
infirmities and carried our sorrows…was pierced for our
transgressions…crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us
peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:3-5). Just
as the men and women God called to be prophets in the Old Testament willingly
submitted to and fulfilled the tasks He called them to do, so did His Son,
Jesus Christ, centuries later in taking the sins of the world upon Himself on
the cross. The suffering was worth it in the end – both for Christ, and for us (as
it says in II Timothy 2:11, “If we died
with him, we will also live with him.”). So that was the first step in
discovering this part of my inheritance.
The second step was beginning to grasp what prophecy means in the
New Testament. In reading through I Corinthians, I came across a verse that
said, “Everyone who prophesies speaks to
men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort” (I Corinthians 14:3).
This was a slightly different turn to the previous understanding I had of
prophecy…and honestly, it resounded with me as to how that perfectly described
me. Over the next few days, God began showing me how certain aspects about my
nature and the work He has been doing in my life have prepared me to walk in
and exercise this gift: an uncannily sensitive spirit and an inability to lie
(both of which are both a blessing and a burden at different times, the
inability to lie being a burden in trying to play certain card games haha), a extensive
knowledge of God’s Word due to my solid Christian upbringing, an incredible
capacity to love (pointed out by a dear friend and sister in Christ whom I have
mentioned before, Lindsay), and most recently, a silencing of myself by God in
how awesome He is, replacing my words by Him and His Word. It has been a
beautiful and wonderful experience as I have begun to consciously walk in this
gift, and I am looking forward to seeing how God continues to develop this gift
in me and use me to reach and bless others.
If you have made it reading this far, I commend and thank you, and
pray that God will likewise reveal to you how the way He has designed you and
the events and circumstances in your life are perfectly equipping you to walk
as His servant, disciple, and representative to the world!
“Being confident of this,
that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the
day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6
