Today the Lord needs to recover this matter of prophesying. Every brother and sister in the recovery has to practice prophesying. However, prophesying does not mean a sharing or a testimony after others finish delivering a message. According to my experience, to prophesy is firstly not a matter of ordinary speaking. Second, when one speaks, he must do so with the spirit. Third, there must more or less be some revelation or light in the speaking.
Today, our speaking in the meetings is mostly restricted to common, human talks or long stories. There is very little of the element of prophesying. However, we can learn about prophesying from Paul’s word. He said, “Pursue love, and desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:1). On the one hand, these words are very simple. Yet on the other hand, they are very uncommon and contain much light and revelation. When we read them, we can sense a certain spiritual element in them. Hence, when we stand up to speak for God, we have to learn to speak forth God. We have to practice pushing the words out from our spirit. Moreover, we should not speak too hastily nor too long. In whatever we speak, we should let others touch the spirit in the words.
Although prophesying is not an easy matter, we know that what is recorded in the Bible must be fulfilled. The Lord says that “the heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall by no means pass away” (Matt. 24:35). First Corinthians 14 is the word of God. If this word is not fulfilled, the church will not be built up, and the Lord will not return. This is why Paul said that we have to pursue love and to desire earnestly the matter of prophesying.
Our attitude towards prophesying should be one of desiring. We should even be so hungry that we would beseech the Lord in earnestness, saying, “Lord, be merciful to us. First Corinthians 14 has not been fulfilled among your saints. Lord, if it is not fulfilled, the church cannot be built up, and You cannot come back. For the building up of the church and for Your coming back, be merciful to us, and grant us the prophesying.” If you seek earnestly this way, the Lord will hear your prayer.
However, the principle of prophesying is not only a matter of the Lord’s moving. On our side, there is also the need for learning. In particular we have to dive into the Bible and be saturated with the Lord’s word. In this way, the Lord’s word, like living water, will soak us thoroughly without and permeate us thoroughly within. When we are full of the Lord’s word inwardly and outwardly, we will spontaneously be able to prophesy.
Luke chapter one records that while Mary had the Lord Jesus conceived in her womb, one day she went to see her relative Elizabeth. At that time Elizabeth had also conceived John the Baptist. When the two met, they uttered words of blessing and praise to one another (vv. 42-45, 46-55). Some have spent time to study the psalm of praise by Mary and have found that every point of this praise is taken from the Old Testament. I believe that she was very familiar with the Old Testament. This is why in her praise she could quote the words of the Old Testament. This proves that she was a person who was permeated with God’s word inwardly and soaked with it outwardly. She was filled inwardly and outwardly by the word of God. This is why she was able to speak for God and to speak forth God.
This shows us that if we desire to prophesy, not only do we need to be moved by God, but we must also cooperate with God to read His word and get it into us, so that His word becomes our constitution. In this way, the Lord will speak through us. This is the principle of incarnation. Hence, on our part, we must be prepared. We have to be familiar with the Word of God. At the same time, there should not be any barrier between God and us. We have to confess our sins, transgressions, and weaknesses thoroughly. The Lord’s blood will cleanse us and will make us clean inwardly and outwardly. In this way, we are ready to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, we have the Word and the Spirit. On the other hand, we have the moving of God. By these we can prophesy. This prophesying is something issuing forth from the spirit, and it brings with it light and revelation.
Moreover, there are secrets to proper prophesying. We can practice at home first. The husband may speak to the wife, and the wife may speak to the husband. After speaking to one another, they can criticize each other. This is a very good way of practicing, and it will improve our prophesying. It is like practicing piano; the more we practice, the more skillful we become. The less we practice, the harder it will be for us to advance. Hence, there is the need for constant practice even in the matter of prophesying. In the end, our posture, tone, air, and spirit of speaking will all become a genuine prophesying, instead of being merely a testifying or an ordinary speaking. If everyone would learn to speak for God and to speak forth God in this way, the Lord will surely be able to fulfill and recover the words in 1 Corinthians 14.