The prophet who prophesies peace is recognized as truly sent by the LORD only when his prophetic prediction is fulfilled. (Jer. 28:9)
Once, in my younger days, I met a beautiful woman who was nearing the end of her childbearing years. She confided in me that, as a devout Christian, she had always tried to live faithfully to the teachings of the Church, to do things the “right” way, but she never found the spouse her heart yearned for. My heart was “moved with compassion” for her, and I blurted out, “Oh I just know you’ll find the right man! How could God ever deny this deep longing of your heart?” She smiled at me, her eyes brimming with tears, and I knew my words had given her renewed hope. False hope, that is.
Hear this…The LORD has not sent you, and you have raised false confidence in this people. (Jer. 28:15)
Now of course, my intentions were well-meaning, but they were misguided. The truth is, I had no idea if she would ever find Mr. Right. I just wanted her to. Because she seemed so lovely—it just wasn’t fair! But the fact of the matter is, I barely knew this woman, and I had no idea the plans God had for her. I gave her my version of “prophecy,” because it was how I thought things should go for her life.
Now in fairness, my heart was in the right place; I truly just wanted to make her feel better. But in the end, if she took my words to heart, I may well have made things even harder for her. In the hope she clung to for one plan, she may have wasted valuable time and focus, missing a different beautiful plan that God had intended for her life.
Of course, Jesus is a master at taking our mistakes and making something even better out of them. I took a bite of humble pie, which is always good, and as for this woman I met, I could always offer my prayers and entrust her life to the Lord’s very capable hands.
But the question remains: as Christians, we are all called to encourage the downcast, to have compassion for the afflicted, to give hope to the hopeless; how do we do this in all sincerity, without raising “false confidences” in other people, or becoming false prophets?
Take not the word of truth from my mouth, for in your ordinances is my hope. (Ps. 119:43)
We must place our hope in the “ordinances” of the Lord. What does this mean exactly? Well, there is indeed a difference between speaking from a place of misguided emotion, and speaking the words of the Holy Spirit, “in whom we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). The former can mimic the latter, so we must follow the instructions God gives us when it comes to speaking words of prophecy.
The first instruction, of course, presumes that we are following God’s “law” and “ordinances,” part of which includes receiving the sacraments. One time I was introduced to someone who was said to have possessed a particular charismatic gift. Wow, I thought. Pretty cool! But then the person casually mentioned that they had not been to the Sacrament of Reconciliation in over a year. That was all I needed to hear to know that they would not be using their “gift” on me anytime soon.
One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. (Mt. 4:4)
The second instruction God gives us is that, in addition to receiving the sacraments and following His law, we must also be fed—regularly—with the words of Scripture. We can choose to leave our Bibles on our bookshelves and simply hear the words the Church provides us with in the daily liturgical readings. The amount we are fed is just perfect for what we need each day—just the amount of manna that will keep our faith alive. But we will not experience the same grace that comes with receiving the Word.
Much like the Eucharist, which requires active participation on our part to receive all the graces that Jesus desires to impart upon us, so too must our attention to the Word be active. One of the best ways to keep ourselves attentive to the Liturgy of the Word is to dust off our Bibles and actually read the daily readings ahead of time, before we go to Mass. We ask the Holy Spirit to “breathe life into the words we read,” and then attentively listen to what He has to say to us each day. If we do that much, Jesus will accept our efforts as if we had managed perfect concentration the whole time. His grace will make up for what we lack.
Do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Mt. 10:19-20)
Finally, when we are called to speak prophetic words on behalf of the Lord, Jesus tells us we are not to “worry.” My misguided compassion for the woman whom I had met was not so much a result of pity, but rather, my own personal worry. True compassion would have simply sat with her in her sorrow, held her hand and listened, and offered words of hope to help strengthen her through her pain.
God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it. (1 Cor. 10:13)
So what are the prophetic words we are called to speak? How do we bring hope to a broken, weary world without pretending that everything in the world is okay? Everything in the world is so obviously not okay—but does the world really need another frightening voice warning of doom and gloom?
The truth is, when the words of warning come from God, rather than terrify us, they give us eyes to see. They strengthen us with the grace we need to change our ways, and they give us clarity about our next steps.
When we hear the true prophet speak to our hearts, greater than the humiliation we experience at the realization of our mistakes is the love of God which envelopes our hearts, pouring out an invitation that calls us home, into the refuge and embrace of our Savior. When the message comes from a true prophet, somehow, it is a message which we are drawn to hear, even when it is dire. It is a message that, rather than frighten us away, in a mysterious way known only to God, fills our hearts with His peace.
Author’s Note: This article was adapted from a chapter in The Safe Haven: Scriptural Reflections for the Heart and Home (Ordinary Time Weeks 15-21), available from Amazon.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
