In a recent discussion on prophecy, I was told that the role of the prophet is not an easy one. I was reminded of Hosea, who was told to marry a whore, and had a very difficult life because of it, and of Elijah who was hated for his main message: repentance. Most often the recipients do not want to hear the message, and would rather kill the messenger than hear it.
For these reasons and others, I choose to not think of myself, or anyone else for that matter, as a prophet, but rather as engaged by God in prophecy. After all, there is no quality in me that He has not put in me. If I have a skill at painting, it is His skill in painting that He gave me. If I have an ability to speak so that people can easily understand me, it is His skill in speaking that He gave me. And so, if I have a gift of revelation through prophecy, it is His gift that He has bestowed upon me.
And it is in this way, that I can comprehend the human capacity for prophecy, because He is capable of all things, regardless of our limitations.
