The Prophecy Workshop
Several parishioners who were considering signing up for our January “Prophecy Workshop” asked me, “Is this for me?” Another shared, “I don’t feel like a prophet…I mean, I’m certainly no Isaiah or Elijah or Jeremiah…” There was definitely, and understandably, hesitancy by some to even sign up for a prophecy workshop!
While prophecy can seem like a daunting or impossible thing, these thoughts were instantly put at ease when, on the first night, our instructor Sean, explained, “If you can love, you can prophesy.”
What is prophecy? And what does it mean to prophesy? Simply put, prophecy is a word (or image or smell or other sense, etc.) from God. To prophesy is then to share that word with another with the purpose being to build them up. And while we do associate it with the prophets of the Old Testament, the Lord speaks to us still today! Sean recalled the Lord’s words in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice…” and reminded us that Jesus doesn’t lie (We DO hear his voice!), but sometimes we need to lean in and fine-tune our antenna!
Besides learning about prophecy, we then practiced or went through what Sean called “activation.” It was through this exercise that the Lord ministered to me powerfully through another member of the class on the second night of the workshop. We were partnered up when Sean prompted us to ask the Lord for each other to “see” or “picture” His love for them. (One way the Lord can “speak to us” is through images.) My partner and I both prayed and “listened” and then shared the visual that the Lord had provided. Here’s what my partner told me…”Shayne, I saw you carrying a bucket of water, some of it sloshing out, spilling, but the Lord continually fills the bucket and is delighting in you and how you work to carry it.” Once our partner had shared, we could “respond” in one of three ways: 1. I’ll take that to prayer. 2. That resonates with me and I feel encouraged. 3. That speaks directly to my heart.
Well, that prophetic “word” (image) spoke right to my heart on so many levels! It spoke to me currently about how I sometimes feel that I can’t quite keep up with the many parts of my work/ ministry/life roles, at least not always being able to give everything the sort of attention I’d like to. It reminded me that the Lord doesn’t expect perfection, just faithfulness! In this case, I felt the Lord’s delight in my effort, but more importantly, I felt his delight in me.
But the Lord, through what seemed to my partner probably like a random image as she shared it, was not only ministering to me presently, but deeply, addressing a wound from long ago! And that wound, believe it or not, actually centered around a bucket with water sloshing out of it. Briefly, back when I was 8 or 9, I had been helping one winter day with some barn chores, watering the horses, specifically. As I lugged a bucket of water to a stall, some of it ended up on the concrete floor—not the best place in the middle of winter where it would freeze and the horses could possibly slip on it. Let’s just say the person I was helping was less than pleased and let me know in so many words. For some reason, that memory had become a thorn in my side, their unreasonable reaction and the injustice of it (as I certainly had been trying to be careful and do the job well) something that became an “identity lie” that told me I wasn’t loved if I didn’t do a job right.
What, in telling it, seems like such a simple, small thing, was the very thing the Lord wanted to enter into, both to tell me the depth of his LOVE and to shed his light of TRUTH on the situations, both present and past. There’s nothing too small (or too big) for the Lord. We just need to be open, receptive, willing to accept what he wants to offer: encouragement, love, healing, and more!
The Lord wants to offer you this opportunity! Next week, we’re hoping to provide prayer teams after several Masses (similar to what we usually do after the 10 a.m. Mass with our Hope & Healing team). The focus will be on prophetic ministry. Jesus, our Divine Physician, always longs to minister to us! On this side of heaven, we sometimes witness or experience powerful healings, but an encounter with the Lord always offers the opportunity for encouragement, peace, a sense of love, etc. We invite you to consider visiting a prayer team after Mass next weekend! If this thought makes you hesitant or nervous, just pray: +Jesus, when you ascended, the heavens opened and never closed. We have access to our Father always! Give me the courage and confidence to seek you, to hear from you. Free me, Lord, to receive all I can so that I can love the world as you do! Amen. +
Blessed be Jesus!
Shayne Slough
Director of Parish Life