Carrier or Treasure?

And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. (1Corinthians 14:32)

I have been reflecting a lot on prophets after a friend asked me to explain a statement he had heard.

And the statement was on the lines like a prophetic gift is absent when not in use. And the example he gave was the fact that Elijah fled from Jezebel so soon after eliminating 850 idolatrous priests as well as ordering back rain after three and a half years.

Had the gift disappeared?

I am sure not.

Let us look at the situation the prophet was in, at least physically.

He had prepared and arranged wood for the altar and then slaughtered a bull all by himself as he could not count on Israel as they were too defiled to be allowed to help him. Then he had separated its parts to enable them to be placed on the altar he also singlehandedly erected from whole stones as God had ordered. (And he had no assistant as God ordered him to get one after the incident.) We then see him outrunning horses after the assurance on his prayer for rain appears.

What do you think the state of his body was? Wasn’t he completely exhausted?

That is the reason God told him to eat well and sleep before engaging him.

He needed a strong and sober body to handle what God was preparing for him.

Look also at John the Baptist. In his mother’s womb, he was able to know when the Christ had arrived. Again during baptism he was able to know Him. How come he becomes uncertain when he is in prison?

Remember what Jesus ordered His disciples after they returned from a very successful mission that you can almost read them praying to be sent again? Let us go to a deserted place to rest.

These bodies are carriers for all those gifts. They are the carriers of all that anointing. And never forget that they are flesh, however explosive the anointing they carry.

Sadly, though by God’s own design and for His purpose and glory, it is treasure of immeasurable worth being carried and dispensed by an earthen vessel. In other words, something of immeasurable worth is kept in the custody of a very fragile (and badly and destructible fragile) vessel.

In other words, this vessel crumbles and does not dent when knocked. Then it can never be completely repaired after that breakage. Thirdly it can destroy the faithful and consistent usefulness of ages just from one ‘successful’ knock.

That is why it is of immense importance that this vessel is delicately taken care of.

And it is the reason I find it comical that a vessel will want to be treated special by similar vessels because of the kind of treasure it holds?

What do I mean?

You are not a better earthen vessel when the treasure you carry is miracles or prophecy as opposed to those with mercy or helps. Each of us is earthen. And all the treasure is from one source. And of course none of us determines the kind of treasure our earthen vessel will carry. And none of that treasure is for our own use, let alone possession.

We will be looking at how to take care of that vessel in our next post