Ah, it is so hard to be a messenger of peace - it sounds so very passive in relation to the raging of war and hatred. Yet, what is the peace that we proclaim if it is not that 'peace which passes all understanding', a peace which brings division as people chose the light instead of the darkness.
tom in ga
Would it be totally taking this out of context by saying, if I, a "Little one" and "Disciple" of God, proclaim peace in the relationships of my life, and truly live it out, I am a prophet of God.
But if I, a "Little one" and "disciple" of God, proclaim peace and yet do not work for peace with those in my life, I am not a prophet of God?
Can I apply that macrocosmic statement of Jeremiah's to my microcosmic life? That if I am not finding peace, perhaps I need to be seeking God's guidance?
If I could do that, this is, indeed a hard text. And perhaps that's where faith must take over, we must believe that if we have done all we can with the Lord in those situations, we must wait for it to bear fruit. We must believe despite the evidence.
Tigger in ND
Tigger,
You can't say that all prophets had their lives or relationship in order when God called them. Just look at Hosea. What a wife to live with! There seems nothing truly good or moral about the prophet, for he (now he and she) was a mouth piece for God - God used the personality of the prophet to express his word. The prophet is more driven. It is beyond his will to control.
tom in ga
tom in ga,
I did not mean to say that we have to have our lives in order before God calls us, though I can understand how you would have misinterpreted it that way. I was brainstorming.
To refute my own last comment I would say I'm sure Hannaniah had good intentions, just like Peter did when he rebuked the Lord for saying he had to die, in trying to bring in God's kingdom. They both wanted God's kingdom to come in the way they saw fit. Isn't it true that God's work constantly surprises us and works in ways we never would have? So I could work for peace in my life, but I may never get it, even though that's exactly what God wants me to be doing. We live in constant tension.
As a pastor first, I don't know how really prophetic I am (and I don't care to get into a discussion about that - I'll leave that to the Spirit), we still really have a huge responsibility to let the Spirit do the work in interpreting God's message for them (sounds oxymoronic, doesn't it?). They are the only ones to properly finish my sermon. I really believe Jesus was what God wanted to say.
Thanks tom, that got me brainstorming about my sermon again. I may go a route by which I discuss the cups of water that we seek out are not sufficient, how we think the cup of water we are given by God, sometimes, isn't enough for us sometimes. (The beloved being gone for a while in the Song of Solomon is a perfect illustration how God isn't always "present" for us in the way we think God should be.) But how much more our God, the originator of hospitality and relationships, will provide for us beggars whom he loves.
Tigger in ND