During what many Christians called “the refreshing,” an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the 1990’s, my family had spent a weekend attending special meetings at a church with a connection to our own. Before undertaking the 10-hour trip home, we stopped at a gas station.
A long-haired, bearded man sat cross-legged on the station’s sidewalk. Beside him lay a small, grubby backpack. I walked by the unkempt stranger quickly as I herded my three young boys toward the gas station’s restrooms.
“If you’re looking for the bathrooms, they’re that way.” He pointed.
I thanked him curtly, not planning on speaking with him beyond that. But as I loaded my kids back into our car, I sensed the Holy Spirit tell me, “I want you to go talk to that man.”
Saturated with God’s love all weekend, I quickly set aside the rule I learned in my sheltered suburban upbringing: don’t talk to strangers—especially homeless ones. Still, I wanted to have clarity. I asked the Lord, “What is this conversation supposed to be about?”
“He is a seeker, but I am seeking him.”
I told my boys God told me to talk to the man on the sidewalk and that I would be back shortly. They didn’t bat an eye. They knew Mama and Papa heard the voice of God. They were learning to do so for themselves.
I approached the man and squatted down on his level.
“Excuse me—this might be the weirdest thing you’ve heard all day, but I believe God wants me to tell you something.”
The man looked me straight in the eyes, fully attentive. No skepticism. No suspicion.
In that moment, I sensed the presence of Jesus so strongly I knew he was speaking directly through me, looking at this man through my eyes.
“God knows you are looking really hard for something, but he wants you to know he is looking even harder for you.”
Before I finished my sentence, the man burst into tears.
“I’m looking for my daughter,” he managed. “I’ve been in jail for five months and my brother stole away my wife and kids. My little girl just turned seven. I just want to give her this for her birthday.”
He pulled a small, wrapped package and a single rose from his backpack.
I discovered Mike placed his faith in Christ at one point but had lost his way. He gave me permission to pray for him. My husband, on his way back to the car from the cash register, joined us. We gave him a new Bible and left him with something he’d been missing for a long time—hope.
God sent a stranger to tell his prodigal son he was pursuing him even harder than Mike pursued his own daughter. Talk about strength, encouragement and comfort!
The gift of prophecy lets people know God sees them—and it helps us see people, too.
Here’s what Paul wrote about it:
Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy…the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation… the one who prophesies builds up the church. (1 Cor. 14:1, 3b).
Love motivates prophecy—God’s love for us and our love for one another.
Prophecy helps us persevere through difficulty. A prophetic word shows us God knows our hearts, hears our prayers, and is intimately acquainted with our ways.[i] It boosts our faith and comforts our inner being.[ii]
In another post, we’ll look at more purposes for prophecy and why it is arguably the most significant spiritual gift.
How has a prophetic message benefitted you lately?
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This post is an excerpt from my upcoming book, Prophesying Daughters: How Prophetic Ministry and Women in Leadership Strengthen the Church. Stay tuned about a surprise early release date!
[i] Sam Storms, Understanding Spiritual Gifts, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020),164.
[ii] Sam Storms, Understanding Spiritual Gifts, 164.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
