Are prophets infallible? No! Can you always count on them? No! Are all prophets wolves in sheep clothing? No! A prophet friend of mine tells me that it takes a lot of prayer and fasting, trial and error, to hear the voice of the Lord. “No, I don’t have a perfect batting average,” he confides. If modern-day prophets are sometimes wrong, do they always listen to the voice of God? No! It’s complicated. Humanity is finite; God, infinite. We are in the temporal; God, in both the atemporal and Omni-temporal.

According to the New York Times:

               “In recent years, self-described prophets have proliferated across the country. They are stars within what is now one of the fastest-growing corners of Christianity: a loose but fervent movement led by hundreds of people who believe they can channel supernatural powers — and have special spiritual insights into world events.”

Many followers claim to hear the voice of God through their prophets. The NYTimes Report, ‘Christian Prophets Are on the Rise. What Happens When They’re Wrong?’ says more about the flock than their herders. Some believe every word they say, like mindless sheep following other mindless sheep. Why don’t congregants seek God’s voice directly? “Just listen!” is what Saint Pope John Paul II would suggest.

In ‘Search God’s Will,’ John Paul II said to a young audience in Morocco (1985) and in Uganda (1993):

               “Even more than speaking, prayer is listening. The Father tells us: ‘This is my beloved Son, listen to him’ (Mark 9:7).

               Prayer will enlighten, refresh, and strengthen our life’s journeys.

               God can never be used for our purposes. He is above all.

               That is why we are accountable before him. His mercy is inseparable from his justice.

               Christ is standing at the door of your heart (Revelation 3:20). He wants to enter there and share with you the flame of his sacrificial love.

               He knocks. Every day you must escape from the turmoil of noise and confusion and, for a few minutes, be silent and calm.

               Yes, God asks that we should listen to His voice. He expects from us obedience to his holy will in a free consent of mind and heart.

Keep up your courageous questioning and searching for “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just and whatever is pure” (Philippians 4:8).  

Read more: ‘Search God’s Will.’

Read more: ‘Christian Prophets Are on the Rise. What Happens When They’re Wrong?’

With Every Good Wish to You, I am,

Sincerely,

Building the Bridge Foundation, The Hague

Abraham A. van Kempen

Senior Editor