Prophets

I'm pretty sure my favorite book of the Bible is Isaiah.  (P.S. It's snowing right now which is awesome, but crazy since it was 60 degrees and sunny yesterday)  Anyway, I say "pretty sure" because I rebel against favorites, especially since there are so many different categories of everything.  Can you really compare the book of Isaiah with Ephesians or Matthew....there are so many differences.  (I obviously feel the same way with music...I have no favorites, I like everything for different reasons--except country, nobody should like country music)  

..... so Isaiah--I love it, I love how he's called to be a prophet, I love his obedience to God, I love how he's willing to look absolutely crazy for God, I love that he knows Jesus will come to save us, I love his passion for righteousness..... I love everything about it!!

This morning I read from Isaiah 64 and really saw his passion for God to come to earth.  He starts out with "Oh, that You would rend the heavens!"  Its like saying, "Oh, that You would break through and shake this world, that we may see Your power and majesty!!"  So he starts out with worshipping Him by declaring who He is, that there is no one like Him.  But he sees the sins of the world, that we've allowed sin to come at us like wind carrying us away.  We've been swept away by our desires, drowning in our sin and yet no one cries out to Him.  "And we need to be saved."  He asks for God to show mercy and compassion on His people.  And declares again who He is, that He is our Father and in control.

This is what I love about prophets; God has shared His heart with them, shared His passion for righteousness and placed a burden in their hearts and a passion for His name.  I looked up the definition of prophet and this is what my dictionary says:

a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God

God reveals His will to these people and they obediently proclaim it to His people.  A lot of the time telling of things to come is involved but not always.  When I think of prophets I think of burdens for the world, when a lot of other people think of prophets they think of fortune-tellers.  

Just think of how much more accurate and reliable a prophecy would be if you could see they were truly torn up by the sins of the world.  

I have to admit I felt like a prophet earlier in the semester.  God continued to speak to me on the subject of repentance, during my quiet times, in the middle of the night, during bible studies and church.  Then as I was studying it and prayerwalking over the campus I seriously felt like God had handed me a ton of bricks on my shoulders.  I would be overwhelmed by the sins of the campus (both for Christians and non-Christians), He would open my eyes to what His heart felt, and I would cry out for His mercy.  Another thing I love about prophets is that in their prayers they say "we" as they include themselves in the detestable sins of the world.  They see a need for repentance themselves and not only the people God has laid on their hearts.  

Anyway, I love it and I want more!!  Yay God!