Forest Lake Talks

Text: Exodus 3:11-12: But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”

Devotional: Do you consider yourself a prophet? Maybe you should!

Joan Chittister, author of The Time is Now: A Call to Uncommon Courage (a book approved for H3 group study), urges us to become prophets, noting, "Faith is invalid unless you are living it. That is the basic message of the prophets and it as true today as it was thousands of years ago."

If you're reading this (thank you), I believe it's a safe assumption that you want to live out your faith. However, as we know, it can be easy to be distracted by the pressures and demands of everyday life. Furthermore, despite the difficulties of just being a human trying to get through the day, Chittister (and the Bible!) argue that commitment, persistence, and endurance are requirements to grow as a disciple and prophet.

Chittister writes, "Prophets ask questions most people do not ask or take the time to pursue. Unfortunately, this is the most important question of all. After we've said our prayers, checked the news, shaken our heads over it, and turned off the TV, we suddenly remember someone who needs the help we have just read about. Then we ask ourselves what we really stand for - and what we've done to prove it. At that moment, we become either prophets - or simply churchgoers. And that is the ultimate question, the question we must all answer: "And you - what are you doing about it?"

Let's pray this week that we gain strength from God - and each other - to ask the hard questions and then live out our faith.

Prayer: Dear God, Fill us with your Spirit this day and beyond. Grant us the courage to ask hard questions and then live out our faith! And may we go forward knowing that you are right there with us. Amen.

Work Cited: Chittister, Joan. The Time is Now: A Call to Uncommon Courage. New York: Penguin, 2019.