Series Introduction: We worship an attention-seeking God. Yes, you read that right. An attention-seeking God…who knows he’s awesome and demands our worship.
What a turn-off that would be if God were like us.
But Scripture tells the story of God, deeply in love, drawing all creation to himself.
And that, brothers and sisters, is far from a turn-off…and not like us.
A weird thing about this epic story of being loved by God is how often we need to be reminded.
We’re a distracted, presumptuous and ungrateful generation. But losing focus, getting bogged down, forgetful and downright obstinate is not just our problem. If you grab even a quarter of the pages of your Bible, you’ll have an idea of how much of it is bubbling over with prophecy to generations past. That is, in the words of men and women who were long-ago commissioned by God: Pay attention!
How does God get your attention?
What part of that story of radical love needs your attention today?
The Hebrew word for prophet is Nebi: to bubble forth like a fountain. Or as God put it to the prophets: I’ve put my words in your mouth.
Reflection: Prophets
As a girl growing up in a Muslim culture, the closest I could get to observing outside life was to unobtrusively watch from the wall surrounding our home. It was a fairly workaday view except for the naked ‘holy man’ who lived under a tree across the street. That certainly got my attention.
God’s ‘holy men and women’ were sometimes just as confronting in their manner and message. God’s wake-up calls sometimes needed to be shameful attention-getters – as scandalous as Isaiah’s 3-year stint of nakedness or Hosea’s marriage to a prostitute. And the messages weren’t just alarming. They were prolific. Fifteen books in the Old Testament are named after prophets, and most biblical books mention prophecy, be it in a dream/vision, poetry or sermon (altogether, Bible prophets – both true…and those masquerading as true – number in the 80’s).
Prophecy glimmered with the character of God and his plans and purposes. That’s why, though prophetic books won’t be listed in most people’s ‘these are a few of my favourite things’, they’re still part of Scripture’s treasury. Many prophecies have been fulfilled – especially in Jesus Christ. Which brings us back to the core of God’s epic love story. And can you ever get enough of that?
Prayer: Stun me Lord, with the old, old prophets’ stories… where sin bred disaster but hope anticipated redemption. Where empires of the world staged their battles, but a new kind of king was coming to restore his kingdom. Where ultimately, in Christ, God kept his covenant; acted in justice and mercy and poured out his Spirit. Stun me as your beloved – Spirit-soaked, spilling in grateful love and uncompromising devotion.