Down through Israel's history the people were to be vessels of truth, carriers of the Word of God. In them the Word of God would live. Through them the Word of God would come into the lives of others. So, in Isaiah 2:5 the word goes out, "Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord." Another way of saying that is, “let us really be the people of God. Let us really live for God. Let us really, truly, worship God.” In so doing, the people would in essence be prophets of God, tellers of the story, conveyors of the truth, living witnesses of the living God.

In Numbers 11:29 there is a remarkable verse. A couple of men had begun to prophesy in the camp of Israel, and there were some who felt these men were out of order and that only Moses should prophesy. Finally, in verse 28 "Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, "Moses, my lord, restrain them." The response of Moses is intriguing. He said, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!"

Fast-forward ahead to the New Testament. In Acts chapter two the people of Jesus are filled with Holy Spirit. The apostle Peter steps up and preaches a great sermon, a part of which explains what is happening. He quotes the Old Testament prophet Joel, "And it shall be in the last days," says God, "That I will pour fourth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" (Acts. 2:17).

In that act, Moses got his wish. The Word of Joel came to pass. The Spirit came upon the sons and daughters. “Would that all the Lords people were prophets.” Today the mantle of the prophet has fallen on the Church of Jesus Christ. His people bring the prophetic voice of God into the affairs of men and, as the church lives scattered through out the world, the message of God is proclaimed.

In my heart of hearts I am praying that the Holy Spirit will enable us to tell the story of God well. Tell it clearly. Tell it unambiguously. Tell it with clarity. More than this, however, may the church live a clear and unambiguous witness before a world that is unaware of just how needy for God it is.

I have a feeling that long before an unbelieving people will embrace a Christian’s thinking they must first see a Christian in action. Before we go on record as being followers of Jesus our lives should already be reflecting His life in us. We ought to be a people who by our very actions and attitudes reflect the fact that God is good. Once we are doing this, then our words can be a great clarifying instrument.

Jesus said to all His followers, “You are the light of the world.” Now, the ball is in our court. We need to go out, in the power of the Holy Spirit and do what a light does ~~~ SHINE. “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them.” Well, He has done just that. Now, let’s go out and make God look good.

It is a humbling and yet exhilarating thought to think that our lives are covered by the God we see revealed in Jesus. At minimum this means we are never without hope, that God's grace is always sufficient. Take from us all that can be taken and there is still God in Jesus. Do to us what you will and there is still God in Jesus. Bless us, curse us, or snub us, Jesus is Lord not the blessings or the curses or the snubbing. Kill us, and the last word isn't death but life, Eternal life in the One who is Lord, even over death.

In Jesus is life and His life is the light of God to us and in us (See John 1:4). To embrace Him is to take His hand, as it were, and to live both now and when life here is over.

Did you know there is no place we can go to hide from God’s grace. Isaac Watts reminds us in a hymn we sing at Christmas time,

No more let sin and sorrow grow…

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found.

So it was that Eliza Hewitt wrote

My faith has found a resting place,
not in device or creed;
I trust the ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,
this ends my fear and doubt;
a sinful soul I come to Him,
He’ll never cast me out.

He comes to make His blessings flow ….

This ends my fear and doubt.

Amen.

The dangerous world we live in is filled with forces that can hurt us deeply and seemingly undermine any good work that God might be doing. When we walk with God, however, we can’t simply assume that what appears to be the facts are, indeed, the facts.

At the heart of our faith is this insatiable belief that no matter what comes our way, God is in the midst of our story. And, make no mistake about it, our stories can get rather messy because life is messy. However, into the “Messy-ness” comes the wonder of God. A voice calls out to us and captivates our attention, “Come, behold the works of the Lord” (Ps. 46:8). And, our eyes are opened to realities of grace we never saw before.

In the messy-ness of life we have some promises. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps 46:1). “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God” (Ps. 46:4). “God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved” (Ps. 46: 5). The Lord of hosts is with us” (Psalm 46:7,11).

And, how shall we respond to this wonderful news? “Though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea … WE WILL NOT FEAR” (Ps. 46:2).

The dangerous world has been embraced and confronted by a Sovereign God. The river of God is flowing, bringing the life of God into the midst of all we have in this world. And, another call comes loud and clear, “Cease striving and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10).

In Zechariah 4:6 there is the very familiar text that has God telling His people that His work in the world was done not by might nor by power but by His Spirit. This means that we must be filled, shaped and formed by God’s Spirit if we are to be a people through whom God can work.

We must be a people filled with the power of God because “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

None of us can see into the future so it is crucial that we pray our way into the future. Jesus is the Beginning and the End even in the present. He “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). What Jesus did then He can do now. Let’s pray that we may be a people in whom He can do whatever He desires to do.

Pastor Jim Cymbala, of Brooklyn Tabernacle, offers a prayer that drives all this home for me. He prays, “Dear Father…Reveal your will and purpose concerning us, and then give us the grace to pursue it with all our hearts.”

Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be open to you” (Matt. 7:7). Let’s pray our way into the future. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. Remember the counsel of John Bunyan, “You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed”