God is Generous: On Being a Prophet

The two stories found in 2 Kings 4:38-44 center on the prophets as main characters, with servants of the prophets acting in as characters as well. Prophets are some of the main characters of the Old Testament, people filled with the Holy Spirit who lived radically different from the culture (even the God-following culture). Today, people use the term "prophet" to gain power or credibility (especially in cult circles) or as a way to denote that the speaker is saying a fundamental and unpopular truth. Mostly, the prophet is considered a special role in the Church, and one that only a few select people are called to.

And this is partially true, but only partially. Jesus embodied the three great offices of Israel (prophet, priest and king) completely. And we, as Christians, now share in the royal, priestly and prophetic call of Jesus Christ. I refer you to the Heidelberg Catechism's definition of a Christian:

Question 32. But why are you called a Christian?
Answer. Because by faith I am a member of Christ and so I share in his anointing. I am anointed to
confess his name, to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks, to strive with a good conscience
against sin and the devil in this life, and afterward to reign with Christ over all creation for all eternity.

I share in the anointing of Jesus- which means that I am meant to be a prophet as well. But what is a prophet?

A prophet is someone who speaks and lives the truth, which is the character, heart and purpose of God. It goes beyond being honest, it goes into living out God's character and power in your world. In a world of famine, we speak of plenty, for example. Human nature, however, defies truth and prefers lies. We deceive ourselves and others, putting on masks (look to the sections on "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There") and taking the world at face value. God, however, looks beneath face value and embraces the world at the deepest levels.

To be a prophet is to be deep; not just deep in yourself, but deep in who God is and what God wants for your life. What do you think God wants for your life?