some possibly prophetic thoughts
•back in high school or college, i took a spiritual gifts test. i got prophecy. i was disappointed. what on earth does one do with that? can't i have something more practical like teaching or helps? i've never had a clue what to do with prophecy. and so i've done nothing.
•a few years ago, i fell in love with baseball. after awhile i felt called to a ministry to the players and their wives. as we all learned back in september, eventually GOD broke me down to the point where HE taught me that i don't have to 'do' anything in order to have a ministry to those people. i was called to a prayer ministry. which disappointed me. i'm not a good pray-er. it's just not my thing. but that's what HE called me to, and i'm trying to be faithful.
•around Christmas time i had a dream that i was bringing treats to firefighters. there were a bunch of them at the firehouse, but i only saw the faces of two of them. they were distinct, but not faces i knew. a day or two later there was a fire in chicago in which two firefighters died. when they showed their pictures on the news, i freaked out. they were the firefighters from my dream. i had never seen them before, but i dreamed them, and all of a sudden there they were. it got me thinking again about my supposed prophecy gift. what on earth could it possibly mean? why did i see them before i ever saw them? was there something prophetic about it? was there something i could have/should have done about it? am i a real-life eli stone? these thoughts have been plaguing me for 3 months. no one has had an answer for me.
•i'm in a beth moore Bible study about the patriarchs. in genesis twenty, when abimilech takes sarah, GOD comes to him in a dream and tells him that if he leaves sarah alone, abraham, who is a prophet, will pray for him and it will be well with him. beth moore points out that this is the first time the word 'prophet' is used in Scripture, and the first thing GOD says about a prophet is that he will pray.
•i laughed. what on earth? i supposedly have the gift of prophecy, and the first thing i've ever felt that GOD has called me to is a prayer ministry. are those related? how accurate are those tests anyway? and if it's right, where on earth is GOD taking me? i didn't want the gift, i didn't want the ministry, but then, was there ever a non-reluctant prophet? it might just be that HE's taking me one step at a time. that once i've gotten the hang of this step, perhaps HE'll show me the next piece of the prophet puzzle. it could be that it will be years or decades before i actually learn how to use this gift. but is this the something more i've always felt i was meant for? is HE going to start showing me, little by little?
•or is this all me wanting something bigger? for some reason, it doesn't feel like that's the answer.
•a few years ago, i fell in love with baseball. after awhile i felt called to a ministry to the players and their wives. as we all learned back in september, eventually GOD broke me down to the point where HE taught me that i don't have to 'do' anything in order to have a ministry to those people. i was called to a prayer ministry. which disappointed me. i'm not a good pray-er. it's just not my thing. but that's what HE called me to, and i'm trying to be faithful.
•around Christmas time i had a dream that i was bringing treats to firefighters. there were a bunch of them at the firehouse, but i only saw the faces of two of them. they were distinct, but not faces i knew. a day or two later there was a fire in chicago in which two firefighters died. when they showed their pictures on the news, i freaked out. they were the firefighters from my dream. i had never seen them before, but i dreamed them, and all of a sudden there they were. it got me thinking again about my supposed prophecy gift. what on earth could it possibly mean? why did i see them before i ever saw them? was there something prophetic about it? was there something i could have/should have done about it? am i a real-life eli stone? these thoughts have been plaguing me for 3 months. no one has had an answer for me.
•i'm in a beth moore Bible study about the patriarchs. in genesis twenty, when abimilech takes sarah, GOD comes to him in a dream and tells him that if he leaves sarah alone, abraham, who is a prophet, will pray for him and it will be well with him. beth moore points out that this is the first time the word 'prophet' is used in Scripture, and the first thing GOD says about a prophet is that he will pray.
•i laughed. what on earth? i supposedly have the gift of prophecy, and the first thing i've ever felt that GOD has called me to is a prayer ministry. are those related? how accurate are those tests anyway? and if it's right, where on earth is GOD taking me? i didn't want the gift, i didn't want the ministry, but then, was there ever a non-reluctant prophet? it might just be that HE's taking me one step at a time. that once i've gotten the hang of this step, perhaps HE'll show me the next piece of the prophet puzzle. it could be that it will be years or decades before i actually learn how to use this gift. but is this the something more i've always felt i was meant for? is HE going to start showing me, little by little?
•or is this all me wanting something bigger? for some reason, it doesn't feel like that's the answer.
posted by melilotnfosco | 8:32 PM
4 Comments:
Your dream is incredible, Mel! I don't have a clue what it means, but I absolutely believe it's real and it means something. Or, it will when He's ready to reveal it to you. I occasionally have dreams that are a bit prophetic, but I'm much more comfortable with my spiritual gifts of administration and teaching. Nobody really talks about this one...
i've seen, in many people, that the life God calls us to is often the life we didn't expect or wouldn't have chosen. whether it's so He gets the glory or it's because satan tries to keep us from following Him, i'm not sure - it's probably some of both.
prophecy is a tough one, because it's not often talked about in non-charismatic churches. i don't know just what it means. but you're definitely on the right track in looking at what the Bible defines as prophecy. keep searching, and God will reveal His purpose to you.
Gifts are most enjoyed when they are opened and used, but some of them take awhile to figure out. I'm so glad that you are aware of how God is moving you and what He is calling you to do. I love that you are responding with obedience to His calling and researching what it is He has gifted you with. God is doing some big things in your life, friend, and I am so very thankful and blessed that you are sharing them with us.
well, i can't say that i'm researching it. i just stumbled upon it in Bible study. and i don't know that i'm aware of how GOD is moving me. pretty much i just know that i have no idea what's going on, but that i'm supposed to pray and that i feel like someday there might be more.
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