The Prophet’s Voice

Thus saith the Lord is a holy thing. When God speaks, powerful things begin to take place in the lives of those who hear His voice. The prophet’s voice isn’t an echo, nor is it subject to change; rather, the prophet’s voice declares what God is saying authoritatively. And that voice brings everyone and everything to a decision point, a crossroads, the point of no return, to a place of beginnings and endings. The prophet’s voice is causal not casual, authoritative not agreeable, declarative not just descriptive; it commands a response, cannot be ignored, and shapes and revises our reality. 

When John the Baptist appeared out of the wilderness, he was unattractive. There was nothing in him from a natural perspective that caused men and women to gravitate towards him. Yet, he was able to command their attention. Everyone knew John the Baptist was a prophet. The only ones who didn’t receive him were the established religious leaders. They rebelled at the likes of John the Baptist; he didn’t fit their nice, nest prophet mold. John the Baptist was unbridled, bristled with the aura of heaven, and commanded attention by the sound of his authoritative voice — “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” John 1:23, NKJV.

That voice shook all Israel. “The crowds asked, ‘What should we do?’” Luke 3:10, NLT. The people knew they were out of alignment with God; they knew they needed something more; they knew religion wasn’t enough. Into that deadness, the prophet’s voice appeared. And that’s how God chooses to use the prophet’s voice: not just for correction but conviction and causation of the establishment of God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. The prophet’s voice grabs the heart. Prophets always deal with heart issues. Always.

What we have today is a “prophetic voice” that is unable to grab hearts. Rather, the prophet word today grabs the mind, introduces speculation, and renders God’s Word null and void. We have many prophecies: useless, lifeless, and meaningless. Instead of building Christ’s body, they berate and beat it. How is that prophetic?! It’s not! Where no transformation takes place, the prophetic voice hasn’t been heard. Prophecy isn’t only based on accuracy, it’s also based on authority. The prophet must be authorized to declare, thus says the Lord. 

“True prophets reduce our idols to dust. Their words cut across cultures and generations to bring lasting change.”—Scott Wallis 

The prophetic voice is never of the prophet’s own initiative. Rather, the prophet is called to speak for heaven from heaven, which requires heaven’s authorization. Today, we have many prophets running across the land, gathering audiences for their messages. The same thing happened in the prophet Jeremiah’s day. As God said through his prophet Jeremiah, “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.” Jeremiah 23:21, KJV.  God told Jeremiah (and us), “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.” Jeremiah 14:14, ESV.

The result: confusion. Satan looks to confuse people by offering strange voices speaking smooth things that provide false hopes and answers. And rather than seeking a true word from God, most people settle for false words that provide false hope and false insights. What must emerge is a cry for the authentic prophetic voice. Not just a prophecy but a voice from heaven that jars our world. That’s what prophets do: they rock our world with the Rock of eternity. We meet the author of all things when we hear the authentic prophetic voice. How awful that we would settle for less. We must repent. We must cry out to Him for Him to “send[] out his voice, his mighty voice.” Psalms 68:33, ESV.

As the Psalmist said, “The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD splits the mighty cedars; the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon…The voice of the LORD strikes with bolts of lightning. The voice of the LORD makes the barren wilderness quake; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare. In his Temple everyone shouts, ‘Glory!’ The LORD rules over the floodwaters. The LORD reigns as king forever.” Psalms 29:4-10, NLT. God’s voice is powerful, authoritative, dignified, and exalted from His throne — heaven. 

The prophet’s voice requires us to meet God on His terms not our own terms. He doesn’t ask our opinion to speak to us. Although He invites our participation, He doesn’t need our cooperation to achieve His will. No! God rules and reigns over all. The prophet’s voice establishes that reign. That’s why prophets often experience rejection from people: they don’t want God to reign over their lives or situations. No, they want a “god” in their image who submits and serves them, an idol. But true prophets reduce our idols to dust. Their words cut across cultures and generations to bring lasting change.

Yes, that’s what we need today — the prophet’s voice. I love what the great Presbyterian minister, Peter Marshall Sr., said, “America needs a prophet like Elijah!  – a prophet who will have the ear of America and will say to her now: IF THE LORD BE GOD, THEN FOLLOW HIM! BUT IF BAAL, FOLLOW HIM . . . AND GO TO HELL!” That’s the sound of a prophetic voice and it’s the sound we desperately need to hear in our day — the prophet’s voice.

Let us pray!

— Scott Wallis