“A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.” (Proverbs 18:16)

One of the most difficult parts of the journey for the prophetic person is to let God open up doors for the gift to be used. Once we figure out that we are prophetic, not only do we want everyone else to know, we wonder why we are not recognized and not being called upon more often to exercise our gift. Sometimes we are in an environment that does not recognize the prophetic. Sometimes we are in an environment where the prophetic is recognized, but we are not called to exercise our gift. Sometimes people recognize that we specifically are prophetic, but for whatever reason we don’t seem to have a public platform. I think this journey can take a number of different shapes. The bottom line is the same: we know we are gifted, but our gift is not being utilized to the extent we feel it should be or could be.

Not that this journey is unique to the prophetic person. I have seen people with leadership gifts struggle in the same way. What often happens when our gift is not used to the extent that we think it should be, we start promoting ourselves. The person might call themselves a prophet. The person may start to seek a platform. The person may start interjecting their gift where it is not wanted. The person may start giving unsolicited advice. There are a number of ways we can think of that advances our gift in the community that we are a part of and participate in. Usually, there is some kind of push back or certain people raise their eyebrows at what we are doing. I am not saying that God never pushes us to put ourselves out there. Sometimes we have to step out, take a step up, and put ourselves on the line.

It is better to be patient and let the process unfold. As we use our gift to serve, people will recognize both our heart and our gift. We won’t have to invite ourselves in places where we are not yet invited. This is not always easy. I think it is particularly hard when God has shown us something and then the very thing he has shown us happens. We get not credit. Sometimes people don’t even know. Sometimes we were only quietly interceding. This is not bad, and some are completely content with that. But there are those of us who enjoy having a platform, to be on stage, to be the center of attention, and to direct things in a certain way. It is hard to sit back and keep quiet. It is even more difficult when we have spoken the things God gave us and nobody seemed to listen. Yet, we have to let our gift “make room” for us.

By Ralph Veenstra